Ain't So Easy
by KayLyn666
Summary: A year after Dallas Winston and Johnny Cade died, the gang was just pulling their lives back together. Everything seemed fine, until one of their few female friends, Jo Cedar, got a call that her younger brother had been killed at war. With his death, brought new troubles, that no one ever thought they would face. AU.
1. Introduction

When you live on the East side of town, you know things aren't going to be easy. But you find comfort in knowing you're not alone. Everyone's struggling, everyone's trying their best just to get by. You don't feel as lousy when you see it every day.

As I walked out of the diner, the bright afternoon sun half blinding me, I found myself grateful that I didn't work until 6 the next evening. I'd been working double shifts for the last 3 weeks, and by then, my body was begging for a day off. So I had asked my manager if I could take the later shift the following day, to catch up on my sleep and to take my younger sisters to the doctor.

I lived a few houses down from the Curtis brothers my entire life. My parents had known their parents for most of their lives, and through them, I knew the boys very well. I'd been close to Darry growing up, and found myself more protective than ever of my three friends.

When my mother died two years ago, I thought my world was going to fall apart. She had been the only thing keeping our family together all those years, and losing her was like losing our only hope at surviving. When my older brother, Tyler, died a month later in a rumble gone wrong, I knew things were just going to get worse.

I'd spent a lot of time at the Curtis's after that. Their mom got me through a lot of the emotional despair I'd been building up, and even taught me how to cook well enough to score a job at the diner the day I turned 16. It was still hard to believe that that all happened two years ago. Not even a year later, I was standing at the same cemetery, bidding my farewells to Mrs. and Mr. Curtis. They'd been killed in a car accident.

After that, I think I practically lived with the Curtis's. Since our houses were so close, it was easy for me to check in on my little sisters, while staying away as much as possible. My father was a cruel, drunk man, who had no problem with throwing punches at me, his oldest child. My younger brother, Tommy, who was only 18, left home shortly after Dallas and Johnny died almost a year ago, fed up with the terror and trauma our town brought him. Last I heard he was in Texas, working on a farm owned by some distant, practically unrelated relatives.

As I walked down the street from the Diner, after a double shift that left me feeling drained and more exhausted than ever before, I found myself debating on whether or not I would head back to my own house that evening. It was Friday, so my father knew it was pay day. The problem with that, was the simple fact that there just wasn't enough money that week. I had to put 15 down on my car, so Steve could continue to work on it at the DX, though he would have done it for free if I could have gotten the parts myself, along with the 5 I owed Darry for letting me use his truck three days that week. Again, he didn't ask for the money, it was just part of the deal. On top of that, I needed a pair of sneakers, since my old pair had finally fallen almost completely apart. Top that off with the electric, gas and water bill, and I was out of cash.

My father never listened though. He was 40 year old, stayed at home, drinking himself into an angry, abusive rage, without giving a second thought to how the bills would get paid. I had it easy, as compared to some, but Social Services had gotten involved when Mary went to school with a black eye. Immediately, I was struggling to come up with a way to keep her and our 4 year old sister, Michelle, out of the system. Because neither of those girls would last very long in a girls home.

"Hey Jo, wait up!" a familiar voice rang out, followed by the soft thud of footsteps. I turned and saw Mary, my 14 year old sister running towards me. I clearly saw the fresh bruise on her cheek, my heart dropping.

"What happened?" I asked, my fingers lightly touching the deep black and blue splotch.

"Daddy got mad last night, because you didn't come home," she sighed. "It doesn't hurt, he barely touched me."

"I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch," I growled.

"Really, Jo, I'm okay," she reassured me. "Are you going to the DX? Steve called earlier and asked me to tell you that he needs to talk to you. It sounded important."

"I always go down to the DX after work," I smiled. Steve knew that. Everyone did. I was at the DX so much, that half the time customers just assumed I worked there too.

"Are you coming home afterwards? Daddy said that the bills are due this week…" she let it hang. She knew that I was working hard to pull my weight at the Curtis's, even though Soda, Pony and Darry all said I didn't have to, along with paying the bills at home.

"I'm taking my check down and paying off the water, gas and electric. I already picked up the bills," I said slowly. "Dad should know that. I told him at least three times when he called me at work today."

"Okay," Mary nodded. "You crashing at the Curtis' again?"

"Mhm. I have the morning off tomorrow, so I'm going to enjoy that couch of theirs while I can," I said with a grin. We walked across the parking lot, straight into the garage, where Soda and Steve were working on two different cars. My old Ford truck was up on a lift, Steve intently adjusting something underneath.

"How's it goin'?" I asked, startling them both.

"Good," Soda said looking up from the motor he was putting back together. "How was work?"

"Long," I laughed half-heartedly. "Steve, when do you get off?" I asked, turning towards him.

"What time is it right now?" he asked.

"Around six, I'd reckon," I said with a smile.

"I get off in a half then," he said. "Why?"

"I need you to give me a lift home, then down to the supermarket so I can pay these bills," I said carefully. Obviously, he didn't want anyone else to know he needed to talk to me. Normally Soda was his go-to guy, so if he needed to talk to me, it had to be important.

"Sure," he said with a nod. "You paying for the truck today?" he asked, giving me a funny look.

"I've got 15 to put down on it, I'll have the rest next week," I said carefully. "That should cover the last of the parts, right?"

"Yeah," Steve said after thinking about it for a moment. "Then you'll have it all paid off, and it should be up and running by the week after."

"Cool, because I really need it next month," I said slowly. I didn't spare a glance at Soda, but deep down, I knew he knew what I was talking about.

"Jo, there's someone on the phone for ya," Mike, the manager of the DX called. "They sounded important."

"I'll be right there," I called. Like I said, almost everyone knew I spent as much time at the DX as I did at my own job.

I walked around the back of the garage, into the store, where Mike had sat the phone on the counter for me. I picked it up, and sighed softly, as I said "Hello?"

"Jo, it's Judith Greene calling, there's something I think you should know…" Judith Greene was our Social Worker. She had been assigned to case a year ago, after Dallas and Johnny died, right after Mary went to school with the black eye.

"What's wrong?" I asked, my stomach suddenly turning flips. I leaned on the counter, my heart racing in my chest. If she called me at the DX, that meant she tried every other option first.

"It's about your brother…"

Suddenly, the entire store seemed to fade, as I listened to her speak, her words guarded, almost as if she didn't want to be the one to tell me the news.

"He was drafted for the war a month ago and…well…there's no easy way to put this…"

"No," I whispered, my knees giving way. I sank to the floor, the phone clutched in my hand as the words registered.

"I'm so sorry, Jo, but Thomas is dead."

* * *

_A/n - I've always been a fan of the Outsiders, and decided to start another story, unlike any I've written before. I'm going to do my best to keep most of the characters as they were in the outsiders, but let's remember, this is taking place a year after Dallas Winston and Johnny died. :) Don't worry, I haven't given up on my other story either, I'll be updating it shortly! I promise!_


	2. Chapter 1

"Miss Cedar?" Judith Greene's voice called over the receiver. I had forgotten that she was on the phone.

"Yeah?" I said weakly. The entire store was slipping in and out of focus, and I knew it was all a matter of time before my knees gave way and I landed flat on my ass.

"I tried calling your house several times, to reach your father. No one answered the phone…I'm worried that something may be wrong," she said carefully. She knew as well as I did that the only time my father left the house was the get more beer. And I knew we had at least three cases in the refrigerator, along with another half a dozen in the basement. We always kept enough in the house, so he wouldn't have to drink and drive.

"I'll go over there and check in," I said slowly. "I'm sure everything's fine."

"I'll come to talk to you in a week or so, just let me know if you need anything, alright?" she said softly. For a moment, I actually thought she cared about us.

"Yes ma'am," I said politely as I hung up the phone. I held onto the counter for dear life, my heart pounding in my chest.

It was Soda who finally broke me from the thoughts, when he ran in, a stupid, shit eatin' grin on his face.

"What'd you do?" he teased. The second I looked up, the smile faded from his face. "What happened?"

"Tommy's dead," I whispered, sinking to the floor. I didn't care that there were customers or anything. I just sat down there, my head in my hands, fighting back tears.

"How?" he asked, sitting down next to me, putting an arm around me.

"Apparently he was…he was…" I couldn't say the words. I couldn't let it be true. "He was drafted a month ago," I finally managed. "I had no idea, an' Judith Greene, she called and said…said…" I couldn't get the words out. I couldn't tell him what she said.

"Golly, I'm sorry!" Soda said, pulling me in for a hug. Suddenly, that weird, sixth sense all big sisters seemed to have, kicked in.

"She said she tried the house but no one picked up the phone," I said, pulling away quickly. "My dad's got Michelle today…" Suddenly, I saw red. Suddenly, I was no longer thinking about my dead brother.

"I'll get Steve," Soda said, wrapping his head around everything. In a flash, he was out of sight. I pulled myself to my feet, my heart pounding in my chest. If anything happened to that little girl…

I was surprised that Soda came with us. I knew he was working till closing, but I guess he wanted to see what was going to happen. Mary sat in the back seat of Steve's car, next to Soda, while I sat in the front, tapping my fingers on the dashboard restlessly. It took only a few minutes to reach the house. As soon as we did, I knew something was wrong. My father's car was in the driveway, but the front door was thrown open. We never left it unlocked, let alone wide open. I was out of the car before Steve even came to a full stop. I skidded to a stop when my eyes caught sight of the scene in front of me.

The table in the living room was turned upside down, the sofa had a deep, long gash in it, like someone had taken a knife right to it. There was broken glass all over the floor. I carefully stepped over the mess, into the kitchen, where my stomach dropped to the floor.

Beside the table, laid a pool of blood. In that pool of blood, laid my father.

"Michelle," I whispered, trying to keep myself from falling. I spun around and raced up the stairs, my heart racing in my chest. I didn't bother to see if anyone had followed. Instead, I threw open my little sister's bedroom, my heart sinking when I realized she wasn't there.

"Michelle? Mickey, where are you sweetheart?" I called loudly. Then I heard it. A sound no sister, and certainly, no mother, ever wanted to hear. Her scream was blood curdling. The sound echoed off the walls, sending my mind into a state of panic. I followed the sound. I threw open my father's bedroom door, freezing at the sight in front of me.

I'd lived in that neighborhood my entire life. I'd seen some stuff that no one, especially girls, wanted to see. But what I saw in that moment, would haunt me the rest of my life.

He was a tall man, with dark brown hair and piercing blue eyes. His face was expressionless, even as he turned the gun from my sister to me. He almost seemed to smile when he realized I was frozen in fear.

In the back of my mind, I was thinking about my mother. How I had been there when she was shot sixteen times. How I was the one who ran to her first, sobs ripping through my chest.

Then I realized, that this man, this ugly, horrible man, was the same man who killed my mother.

"Jo, what's goin-," Soda was cut short by the sound of gunshots. As soon as the gun went off, I threw myself at the man, not caring about the consequences. For the millionth time, I was grateful that Darry had advised me to carry a knife ever since Johnny killed the Soc.

Several more gunshots were fired. I heard someone fall to the ground with a thud. I thought I felt something graze my shoulder, but I took no notice. Adrenaline was fueling a fire that had been building and building for all those years.

I sank the switchblade deep into the man's chest, before rolling aside, panting heavily, my vision blurring.

That was when I saw it. Soda was lying in a heap, breathing mighty hard. I crawled over to him, not trusting myself to stand. As soon as I reached him, my heart sank. A pool of blood was beginning to seep through his fingers. His fingers that were pressing down hard on his stomach.

"Sodapop, hang in there," I whispered, pulling his head into my lap as I pressed down as hard as I dared, begging the blood to stop.

"What the -," Steve stopped short when he saw us. His face went paler than I'd ever seen before.

"Get help," I whispered. I think he heard me, because he turned tail and ran down the stairs. Michelle was wailing where she sat on the bed, her face pinched up in a look of despair. As much as I wanted to comfort her, I had my hands full.

Soda's eyes fluttered a bit, his face turning a sickly pale shade.

"Soda, hey, talk to me, c'mon now," I begged.

"It…hurts," he wheezed. He started coughing, causing more blood to seep through my fingers.

"Jo, are you okay?" Mary's panicked voice rang.

"Go in the bathroom, grab all the towels and throw them to me," I commanded. I heard her footsteps and a moment later, she threw them at me, refusing to open her eyes.

"Thanks, Mar, now go outside and wait for the Ambulance," I ordered. She nodded and left, her face a pale shade of green.

I bunched a towel up and pressed it against Soda's stomach, my own turning when I saw it turn red very quickly.

"They're on their way," Steve informed me, throwing himself down at my side. "How can I help?"

"Get me a wet cloth," I said, my voice shaking. I was getting dizzy. I wasn't afraid of blood, but this…this was too much blood.

Steve did as I said, a moment later, returning with a soaking wet cloth. I gently pressed it to Soda's forehead, keeping the other pressed tightly against the wound.

"You…you're bleeding," Steve said, his voice shaky.

"Just grazed, I'm fine," I snapped. "Make sure Mickey wasn't hit," I added as I quickly switched to another towel. Soda had tears streaming down his face, but thankfully, he was still awake.

"It hurts," he wailed. The sound broke my heart.

"I know, honey, I know," I said softly, begging for a miracle.

It seemed like a lifetime for the paramedics to arrive. By the time they did, Soda was unconscious, his head still planted in my lap. I was going into shock or something, because they were forced to move me. I faintly recall one of the paramedics saying something, before scooping me up in his arms and carrying me away.

The rest was a haze. I think they loaded me into the ambulance, or maybe they put me in Steve's car. I couldn't remember.

What I did remember, was begging someone to bring my sisters along. They needed me. They…


	3. Chapter 2

When I woke up, the first thing I was aware of, was that my shoulder hurt something fierce. Even when I sat up, the pain shot through my whole arm, causing me to cry out. That was when I was aware that I wasn't alone. I turned my head slightly, and saw the whole gang in that small, bleach white hospital room. There was another bed in there, and in that bed, laid Sodapop Curtis.

"Hey," Two-Bit said gently, like he was talking to a wounded animal. "Don't move too much, you're hooked up to all sorts of wires."

I looked at my hand and saw two needles stickin' out of it. I winced, wishing I could pull them out.

"How is he?" I asked. I realized as soon as I opened my mouth, that I sounded way too tired.

"Still out," Two-Bit sighed. "How are you?"

I was confused about the question.

"Uh," I stared at him blankly. I couldn't put everything together just yet.

"You were shot, tore up some of the muscle in your shoulder," Darry informed me. I looked at him funny, vaguely wondering why Michelle was curled up in his lap, her head buried into his chest.

"I was?"

"You don't remember?" he asked, his eyes widening. I shook my head.

"What do you remember?" Pony asked. He looked tired and it was clear he'd been crying.

"I remember…" suddenly it all came rushing back at me. I leaned back, groaning softly. I felt myself begin to tremble.

"Hey, it's okay," Steve said gently. Too softly for Steve. When I opened my eyes, I saw that he looked sad. Really, really sad.

"It's not," I moaned. I sat up again, pulling the IV from my hand. Which was stupid, because as soon as I did, my hand started to hurt.

"Just where do you think you're going?" Darry asked.

"To make a phone call," I muttered, trying to stand.

"Good luck with that," he grunted. I looked at him funny, then realized what he meant. As soon as I went to stand, my knees gave way. Steve shot him an angry look after he caught me and pushed me back onto the bed.

"Who you need to call in such a rush anyhow?" Darry asked angrily. He blamed me for this.

"Judith," I sighed, leaning back on the pillow. "She'll want to know."

"We already called her," a new voice came. I turned my head to see a nurse coming into the room. "Good to see you awake, Jo-Anna Beth," she said pleasantly.

"Stuff it," I muttered. I was mad. And sad. And worried something fierce.

"Aren't you a kind little one," she smiled sadly. "You're gonna have to take it easy. Your shoulder is pretty torn up. A few weeks of rest is just what the doctor ordered," she said lightly.

"What about Soda?" I asked, sitting up again.

"You saved his life, you know that?" she said with a sad smile. I saw Darry's expression soften as he looked at me. "Your fast thinking is why he's still with us. By all standards and technicalities, he should have bled to death. You did more for him than anyone would have thought."

Though her tone was gentle, I realized how serious it was.

"Is he…will he…" I couldn't say the words.

"He'll make a full recovery," she promised. "He won't be moving around much the next few weeks, but he'll be good as new in no time."

"You swear?" I asked. I wanted to kick myself for sounding like such a child, but this was my best friend we were talking about.

"I swear," she said with a smile. "Now, I don't recommend walking around much, but I know you aren't going to hear it, so do me a favor and try to take it easy, alright? There's a phone at the nurses' station you can use, and I'm sure you can track down the police easily enough."

"The police?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"Well yes. I'm sure you'll be filing a report, that man needs to be caught," she said sadly. Suddenly, I felt very, very dizzy. I closed my eyes, swallowing hard.

"He got away?" I asked, feeling sick.

"Well…yes," she said carefully. I couldn't believe it. How could he have…

"Jo-Anna?" her voice sounded concerned. I couldn't force my eyes open. I couldn't breathe.

I'd seen my sister scared before. It wasn't fun. She was so scared after our mom died, that she didn't say much to anyone for a long, long time. But seeing her lay in that hospital bed, gasping like that, it scared me something fierce. I clung to Ponyboy, who was tryin' his best to keep me from crying.

I don't know which scared me more. Knowing the man got away, or knowing that my sister was scared. I think the later was the real problem. Jo normally didn't get scared. She normally didn't cry or get spooked or nothing. She was our strong rock. She was our other mom. But seeing her that scared…it made me want to cry for her.

Right when I was about to cry, Soda started to stir, so I focused on him. He looked pale, but his eyes danced when he saw us staring at him.

"Who died?" he asked, his eyes catching our grim expressions.

"You almost did, little buddy," Darry said softly, stroking his head.

"I did?" he asked, laughing softly at the thought. He must have been in pain then, because he gasped and grew quiet after that.

It was strange how quiet the room got. Then, out of nowhere, my sister sat up, her eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" Mary asked, her voice cracking. She looked damn close to tears.

"I'm tired of it," I muttered, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. I ignored the pain in my shoulder as I slowly crossed the small distance and rubbed Michelle's back. "I'm sorry you had to see that, little girl," I said gently when she looked up at me with big, horrified eyes.

"Sissy," she wailed, almost falling off Darry's lap. I tried to pick her up, but it proved impossible with my right arm in a sling. Instead, I knelt down, ignoring the pain that was threatening to knock me out again.

"Listen to me, Mickey Mouse, everything's gonna be just fine, you hear? You're gonna sit here an' listen to Darry and the rest of the gang and your sister 'till I get back, ya hear?" I said softly.

She nodded, tears in her eyes. "I come too?"

"No baby girl, I can't carry you right now," I said gently, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I gotta make a few calls, then I'll be right back."

"Who you callin'?" Soda asked, giving me a funny look. I glanced at him, feeling tears threatening to well in my eyes.

"My work…your boss…uhm…whoever else needs to be called," I sighed. "Then I'm talkin' to the cops and sending one of them over to lock up the house."

"Why?" Steve asked.

"'cause we might not got anything worth stealin', but I sure don't like the idea of someone stayin' there while we're all here," I said carefully. "Anyway, it's gonna take ages to get all the-," I stopped when I saw Mary go pale. Instead I said "It's gonna take ages to convince the doc to finally let me see the outside world."

"Someone's goin' with you," Darry said matter-of-factly.

"I will," Steve volunteered. "I need a weed anyway."

"Good," I said, spinning slowly towards the door. "Two-Bit. C'mere a second," I called. He followed me and Steve out the door, no questions asked.

"Sup?" he asked as soon as we were out of earshot.

"I need Tim's number. Buck's too," I said softly.

"Why?" he practically screamed.

"Because, I need someone to keep their ear to the ground for a while. I ain't bringin' my sisters anywhere near the house 'till I know it's safe…" my voice broke.

"What happened in there anyhow?" he asked. "Steve only told us bits and pieces," he said, shooting a look at Steve.

"I'll tell you later," I sighed. "Just run the numbers to me when you figure them out," I said harsher than I intended. I was tired and not feeling too hot. He simply nodded and disappeared as I turned to walk to the nurses' station, Steve in tow. When I got there, my head was starting to ache something fierce and it took all my strength just to stay upright while I dialed the number to my work.

"Hello?" a familiar voice answered.

"Mark?" I asked, just to be sure.

"Jo-Anna! Are you alright?" he asked, his tone nothing but concerned.

"I'm fine. Listen, I know I promised to work the doubles this week, but I just can't. Not right now. I'll let you know when I'll be back in," I said tiredly.

"Don't you worry one bit, Jo-Anna Beth, you take all the time you need. My condolences to you and your family. And tell Sodapop to get better soon," he said softly. Gently.

"How did you know?" I asked, throwing a look at Steve who only shrugged.

"Shoot, the whole town knows. Haven't you seen the news?"

Suddenly my heart sank. I felt so dizzy, that I was sure I was going to fall down right then and there. I hung up the phone and leaned heavily against the desk.

"What's wrong?" Steve asked, a look of concern crossing his face.

"This is bad, really bad," I whispered.

"Jo, what happened?" he asked, his voice rising. I shook my head and slid to the floor, feeling sick.

"Miss Cedar, we have some question to ask-," a man's voice boomed.

"Not right now," Steve said, crouching next to me, his eyes showing exactly what he was feeling. Anger.

"It's important we talk to her while -," again, Steve cut him off.

"Don't you see that she's not up to it right now? She just lost her brother and father in the same fucking day, give her a few hours to get over that, would ya?" he snapped angrily.

"Don't you take that tone with me, young man," the police officer snapped.

"What's going on out here?" Darry's voice boomed. Before I knew it, he was standing in front of me, his fists balled.

"I just need to ask her a few questions," the officer sighed. He backed away, almost as if he was afraid of Darry. Then again, I wouldn't blame him if he was.

"She's upset. And hurt. Just give her some time to recover, please, sir," he said as kindly as he could. The officer finally nodded and stormed off, a look of frustration crossing his face.

Steve and Darry exchanged a look while I pulled myself to my feet, shaking something horrible. I started towards the exit, then changed my mind and walked out into the waiting room, breathing hard. I sank to the floor in a dark, quiet corner and pulled a cigarette from my jean pockets. That was when I really saw it. My pants were soaked in blood. Whose, I wasn't too sure.

I must've looked like something out of a horror movie, because no one other than Steve came anywhere near me.

I took a long, hard drag off my smoke, letting the smoke fill my lungs, really letting it soak in there. Normally, I didn't smoke much, but lately…well lately life's just been worse than usual. I didn't say anything, just sat there smoking, ignoring the ache in my shoulder, ignoring the nagging headache even more.

If it was all over the news, then everyone knew. And if everyone knew, then social services knew. I wasn't sure whose family I was more worried about. Mine or Darry's.

The last thing I wanted was for him to lose his brothers, all because my family can't get it's shit together. It didn't seem fair.

For the first time since my mother died, I really wondered if my friendship with the gang was going to cause them more harm than good. And that thought made me want to puke. Because had it not been for the gang…for Soda especially, god only knew what would have happened.

"Golly," Steve said, breaking my thoughts. "You're shaking something fierce."

I shoot him a look, but said nothing. Instead, I wrapped my good arm around my knees, silently letting a few tears finally slip loose.


	4. Chapter 3

"You can't be serious," I practically shouted at Judith Greene when she told me it was in my best interest to sign the girls over to the state.

"Jo-Anna, you won't have a place to stay until the investigation is taken care of. I know for a fact you can't afford to put the girls up in a hotel, and you aren't in any shape to be taking on any more hours than you already are," she said sternly. "If you let me take the girls, at least you'll know they're safe and looked after."

"No, absolutely not!" I snapped. "They need me, now more than ever."

"And just where exactly do you plan to keep them? How do you plan to keep them safe? You're one person, Jo-Anna Beth, I hate to be the one to tell you, but you aren't a superhero, you can't save everyone. Not this time," she said loudly. I was growing less and less patient.

"Ma'am, with all due respect, do you honestly believe that I haven't considered that? I have to look at the bigger picture here. Mary is almost 15. She's more than capable of watching her sister after school. Michelle's going to be 5 in a few weeks, I'll enroll her in school early, and it'll work out fine. I'll work a morning shift and an afternoon shift, and I'll be home at night," I argued.

"But where will you keep them? Jo, I know you want to keep the girls with you, together non-the-less, but this time, there's way to prevent it. I've already stopped by the house to collect their things. Time to face the facts, child, you can't fight this any longer. Your 4 year old sister almost died yesterday, and there's no way a judge is going to grant you custody after that," she said matter-of-factly.

"So that's it? You're just going to swoop in and snatch them up?" I felt tears welling in my eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jo-Anna, but there's nothing else to do," she said. With that, she sent me to retrieve them from Soda's room, where Darry was keeping an eye on them.

"Mary, Michelle, c'mere," I said softly. My voice broke the second Mary looked at me, her eyes wide.

"No," she whispered, begging me to tell her it wasn't so.

"Don't you worry for a minute, Mar, I'm gonna fight till the death if I gotta to get you two back," I promised as I wrapped her in my arms, hugging her for dear life. "It'll only be till the house gets cleaned up and that man gets what he deserves," I promised.

"What if they never catch him? Then we'll be at a girls home the rest of our life! Or what if someone tries to adopt Mickey?!" she screamed. "Please. Jo, don't let 'em take us away!"

I felt so defenseless, so broken. I looked at my little sister, tears streaming down my face.

"Mary, I ain't never gonna let that happen, you hear me? Don't you worry for a single minute, you understand?" I said, trying my best to keep my tone calm. "I love you and Mickey with all my heart and soul. Don't you dare forget it."

"But Jo!" she was sobbing now. It broke my heart to see her like this. I kissed the top of her head, before pulling Michelle off Soda's bed. She was crying loudly, trying her best not to let me pick her up. She would have succeeded too, had Darry not stepped in to help. He held her for me, while I wrapped my good arm around her tightly, kissing her head a million times.

"I love you so, so much, Mickey Mouse. I promise, baby girl, I'll see you real, real soon!" I sobbed. She wailed loudly, kicking and screaming all the way out into the hall. Darry didn't say a word, not even when Judith tore Michelle from his arms, her face drawn.

"I'll be in touch," she said softly as she pulled Mary away from my side, leaving me to stare on as they quickly walked down the hall.

I sank to the floor, my heart pounding so hard, I was sure the whole world could hear. Tears streamed down my face as I tried my hardest to get control.

How could this happen? I'd fought so hard to keep those girls safe, so fucking hard. Now, in the matter of hours, I lost them. I lost them just like I lost everything else.

I stood up and walked into Soda's room, staring at him. His eyes were wide as he watched me sit down at the foot of his bed. I felt him take my hand. His fingers were cold, but the rest of his hand was warm. In the few silent moments, I knew he was trying to make me feel better, just like he always did when someone was upset.

"You get well soon, you hear me?" I said suddenly, looking at him with fearful eyes. "I can't live with knowin' you're in here because of me."

"Don't be stupid," he said, flashing that big, shit eating grin that could cheer just about anyone up. I couldn't help but force a smile for his sake.

"I'll be back later," I sighed, giving his leg a pat before standing up, quickly exiting the room before anyone could stop me.

"Where are you going?" Steve asked, having chased after me.

"To blow off steam," I snapped. I wasn't angry at him. How could I be, none of this was his fault.

"Really think that's a good idea?" he asked softly. He of all people should have understood.

"Yeah," I said sourly as I pulled away, not caring if he was mad at me or not.

I stormed out of the hospital, not even caring for a second that my shoulder was aching something fierce. Instead, I stormed right out to Darry's car, for once, grateful that I grew up on the wrong side of town. I popped the lock and slid in, trying to decide just how ticked Darry would be if I _borrowed_ his truck. Right when I was about to hotwire it, someone slammed down heavily on the hood. I looked up and saw Darry giving me the 'just what do you think you're doing' look.

I opened the door and tried to give him a dirty look, but I just didn't have it in me. Instead, I slid over and waited for him to join me. He did and started the truck without question.

"Next time just ask," he said gently as we pulled out of the parking lot.

"I'm surprised you're leaving the hospital," I said softly.

"Soda told me if I didn't go find you, he'd never speak to me again," he sighed. "Steve told us you took off in a hurry."

"Can you blame me?" I asked, tears welling in my eyes. "If I had just went home first or moved quicker or something, none of this woulda happened."

"Hey, you can't think like that. You're gonna get your sisters back, I know it. And Soda, well he's sittin' in there cracking jokes like nothing even happened. The Doc said he'll release him in a week if he keeps improvin' like he is," he said gently. "Everything's gonna work out."

We were driving down the main street when I saw him. His dark brown hair and bright, taunting blue eyes stood out as he crossed the street.

"That's him," I whispered, panic rising in my chest. What if he saw us? What if he had a gun? What if, what if, what if.

"Jo, Jo-Anna!" Darry's voice broke through. That was when I realized I was hyperventilating. I took a shaky breath, before staring out the window again. There was no one there.

"Where did he…" my voice broke off.

"Jo, there was no one there," Darry said calmly, his hand resting on my good shoulder. "Easy," he said softly. His hand rose to my forehead. I saw a look I couldn't quite place cross his face.

"What?" I asked, trying still to calm my racing heart.

"You're burning up," he said, trying to sound calm. He failed horribly.

"Hmm, no surprise," I sighed, leaning back. I carefully undid the bandage that was wrapped painfully tight around my arm, a sad smile crossing my face when I saw the green, sticky pus. "Guess someone's gonna be in the hospital a little longer," I said, almost comically.

Darry didn't say anything, just turned the truck around and drove back to the hospital in record speed.

I spent the next three days hooked up to an IV, waiting miserably for the infection to clear up. Once it did and my fever broke, the doctor decided it was probably better if he kept me one more day. I hated him for it, but I understood. Besides, he had went out of his way to make sure Soda and I were still sharing a room, so it wasn't so bad.

Soda was walking around for the first time since being shot when I woke up late that afternoon. I turned my head and smiled at him, still half asleep.

"You gotta call Judith," he said with a sour look on his face.

"Why?" I asked tiredly.

"Because she called looking for you, said it was important too," he said carefully. "How're you feeling anyway?"

"Better," I sighed as I sat up. "At least I'm not ready to kill everything that moves," I joked as I reached for the jacket that was thrown over the chair beside my bed. Only when I lifted it, did I realize who it had belonged to. It was Tommy's.

"Shoot," I muttered, finally having a chance to realize that my younger brother, a brother that I had been so close to, was dead.

"You good?" Soda asked softly.

"Yeah. God, what I'd give to have Tommy here right now," I sighed. "He'd have figured this whole mess out. Shoot, he did when mom died." It hurt to remember those dark, dark days. Even though the Curtis's had kept me from going completely insane, it was easier. Tommy was there to really understand it. This time, I was alone in the worst of ways.

Rather than feel sorry for myself, I stood up and slipped my good arm into the jacket, even though it was many sizes too big, and let it hang loosely on my other shoulder. I walked out of the room, but not before giving Soda a half hug. He smiled kindly, before giving me a single nod. He knew this was something I had to do alone.

I walked down the hall to the nurses' station and dialed the number to Social Services.

"Hi, how can I help you?" a woman's voice chimed brightly. What the hell did she have to been cheerful for?

"Judith Greene please," I said wasting no time.

"One moment," she said. I waited what felt like a lifetime, before the familiar, sad tone of our social worker came on the other end.

"Jo-Anna?" she asked. I guess she'd been waiting for me to call.

"Mhm," I said, only mildly annoyed.

"Jo, there's been an…uh, incident with one of your sisters at the home…" she said carefully.

"What kind of incident?" I asked, my temper flaring.

"Well, see, someone said something to Mary about Michelle…and well…Mary sort of…well," she couldn't seem to spit it out.

"What did Mary do?" I growled.

"She punched the girl and broke her jaw."

I don't know why, but that made me laugh. I felt a smile, a genuine, whole hearted smile cross my face.

"You're calling me to tell me that Mary broke someone's jaw?" I asked in disbelief.

"Well, yes. That sort of behavior isn't allowed in the home and well…Mary hasn't listened to anyone since she got there," she said, her tone proving how frustrated she was.

"Ma'am, with all due respect, I did warn you," I said, still laughing.

"Yes, well," she couldn't seem to find words. I heard her laugh softly on the other end of the phone. "I just thought you'd like to know."

"Thank you for telling me, Ms. Greene," I laughed softly. "I'll be calling you soon to discuss the custody of the girls."

"Oh, Jo-Anna, you know-," I cut her off.

"I know what you said. But that doesn't mean shit." I hung up the phone in a haste, still laughing to myself as I walked back into the room Soda and I shared. Darry and Ponuboy gave me a funny look when I burst out laughing again.

"What?" Soda asked, grinning even though he didn't know what was funny.

"Looks like Mary's got Steve's temper!" I howled, laughing so hard, it hurt.

This caused everyone to crack up. We all knew Mary had a temper, but this was the first time she punched anyone. I couldn't help but be proud of her. At least I knew she could carry herself and protect her little sister when I was unable to do so myself.


	5. Chapter 4

When the doctor finally cleared me to go home, it all finally sank in. I was suddenly met with the fact that I couldn't exactly go home, since my home was painted a nice shade of red in at least two of the rooms. I was pondering this thought when Darry finally spoke up, breaking me out of my silence.

"Soda's coming home today too," he said lightly. I looked up at him and couldn't help but smile. Leave it to Darry to try and be discrete about inviting me to crash on their couch, even though I've been doing it for countless years.

I thought about what he said for a moment as I sat down on the bed, trying to tie my shoe with only one hand. My head was pounding, but I knew that was because I had spent the day before preparing for my brother and father's funerals, only after clearing it with social services that my sisters were to be present, one way or another.

"Can we…uh," I didn't want to say what was on my mind, but it was inevitable. I needed to grab some fresh clothes, as mine were still caked in blood. "Can we stop by my place before hand?" I asked softly.

"Sure," Darry said with a nod.

I nodded tiredly. I hadn't slept much the night before, and it had caught up with me faster than I expected. Before I had a chance to finish putting on my shoes, a familiar, but far less welcomed face appeared around the door, followed by a police officer.

"Jo-Anna Beth, it's been a while," the man said with a sad smile. Jacob Ryan. My mother's lawyer.

"Good morning, Sir," I said as kindly as I could muster. "What can I do for you?"

"Ah, pleasant as always," he said gently. "It's more what I can do for you, actually," he went on.

"Oh?" I looked at the police officer stiffly, not too keen on him being there. I knew he still needed my statement.

"See, now, since with everything that's happened, the bank is willing to buy your house off you," he said kindly. "We just need…" I cut him off.

"Excuse me?" I asked, confused. "The house isn't in my name."

"It is now," he said with a sigh. "Technically, it has been since you turned 18. Your mother left the house to you in her will," he said gently.

"My mother had a will?" I was confused. It's not like she knew she was going to get killed.

"A living will at the time, yes. Anyway, the bank would like to buy your house, foreclose on it really. It's not exactly…uhm, how can I put this, up to city standards right now," he said as kindly as he could.

"That's an understatement," I sighed.

The officer looked over at Darry and Soda, who hadn't moved an inch.

"Can they do this in private?" he practically snapped. This made my head shoot up.

"No way!" I yelped, sliding off the bed, moving to simply sit between Soda and Darry across the room. "They're as much part of this as anyone else."

"Let them stay, Garry," the lawyer said gently. "I know the boys, they were there for the kids after their mother died."

That shut the officer up real quick.

"If I let the bank have the house, how much are we looking at? Because it's not like I can sleep over at other people's houses forever. I'm trying to get the girls back and all…" I deadpanned.

"That's why I'm here now, rather than later. I'm aware that you are extremely close to the Curtis boys, right?" he said, as if it weren't obvious. I nodded, waiting for him to get to the point. "The house directly behind theirs, the one that their back fence connects to, are you aware of it?"

"Of course," I said with a nod. "What about it?"

"It's been on the market for several years now, after its previous owner passed away, and the bank has settled on an agreement, if you're willing…" he gave me a slight smile.

"Trade my childhood home, for one directly behind theirs?" I asked, eyes widening. I'd never heard of such a thing before.

"I went through a lot of fuss to make it possible. If you're willing, that is," he said with a smile. "It's nothing big, but it's got three bedrooms, a decent size dining area, and a fairly modern kitchen," he said slowly, gauging my reaction.

"I knew the family that lived there about 10 years ago," I said with a smile. "I always loved the house, because I always considered the possibilities," I said with a huge grin. "Where do I sign?"

"Right here," he said, handing me the form. "I must say, I wasn't expecting you to be so easy," he said kindly.

"Under any other circumstances, I wouldn't," I laughed. "But you're giving me a real shot at getting the girls back."

"That's what I thought," he smiled.

"Jo, I hate to ask, but I really need that statement today," the officer said. I sighed and nodded.

"Let me have a few minutes first, alright?" I asked. I was really getting lightheaded. After the lawyer left the room, I snatched my small purse off the chair where it sat and walked out of the room without a word to Darry or Soda. I stumbled down the hall, sitting down heavily in a dark corner of the waiting room.

I leaned my head against the wall, taking a long, hard drag off my cigarette. I tried to keep my eyes open, but I was so freaking tired.

"Trying to burn the whole place down?" a familiar voice rang. I looked up and saw Steve staring down at me, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

"Mmm," I muttered tiredly, taking another long drag.

"Scoot over," he said, coming to sit next to me. Me and Steve had never been super close, but we were close enough that minor physical contact wasn't awkward. So when I leaned my head against his arm, he simply shifted so we were both comfortable.

"Long night?" he asked gently, prying the cigarette from my hand. I felt him inhale.

"More like long week," I said tiredly. "I still gotta give my statement," I sighed. My head was throbbing something fierce.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, tilting my head. I forced my eyes open, and tried to nob, but it was just too much for my head.

"Migraine," I groaned, snapping my eyes shut again. I felt Steve's hand press against my forehead, but felt him sigh in relief when he realized I didn't have a fever. "It's nothing outta the norm," I told him softly. "They come and go when things start piling up."

"You need sleep," he said matter-of-factly.

"Yeah," I barely managed to utter.

"C'mon, the faster you give your statement, the faster you can go to sleep," he said, pulling me to my feet. I groaned and leaned heavily against him as we walked through the waiting room. Only as we approached the room did I force myself to step forward, nodding at the officer who still stood against the wall.

"Can we make this fast?" I asked, sitting down heavily.

"Sure," he nodded. "I just need you to run through that entire day for me," he said gently.

"Let's see, I got out of work around…um…" I tried to remember exactly when I punched out. "5:30," I finally said. "I was walking to the DX like I always did afterwork. I wasn't there maybe ten minutes when the social worker called me and said that my brother got drafted a month ago, and didn't make it. But what stood out was she said she tried the house first. So Steve and Soda, along with Mary, and me, all went back to my house."

"Then what?" he asked, writing down my every word.

"I knew something was wrong when the front door was open," my heart started to race in my chest, my headache getting that much worse. "So I went in first-"

"Why?" the officer cut me off.

"I don't right know," I said softly. "The living room was a mess…real bad. Then I went into the kitchen and…and" I couldn't spit the words out. I gasped, pressing my eyes shut. The entire scene played out in front of me. Michelle's shrill scream. The gunshots. Soda's pained cry. The blood. So much blood.

I jolted from the bed, barely making it to the bathroom when my stomach heaved. I leaned back a few moments later, shaking something fierce, my heart pounding in my chest.

"That's enough," Darry said sternly, before coming to my side, standing in front of me protectively. I vaguely heard the officer say something else, but Steve's angry tone cut him off.

"Don't you see you're upsettin' both of them?" he snapped angrily. Suddenly, my eyes snapped open and I looked over at Soda, who looked as pale as the sheet he sat on.

"I need the rest of her statement," the officer said in a hushed tone.

I stood up, walked right up to him, even though I was shaking something fierce and said.

"There was blood and my father was dead. My sister screamed so I went to her, saw the man, and the rest should be pretty fucking obvious," I snapped before looking at the door. "I don't wanna talk about it no more. Get out," my tone was a whole lot harsher than I expected, and I was surprised to see him leave quickly. I went over to Soda and sat down next to him, wrapping my arms around him.

"You good?" we both asked at the same exact time, which of course, made us both crack up.

The migraine was fading faster than usual, so as soon as my body stopped shaking, I stood up and tried to find the little gold chain that held my mother's wedding rings. I knew for certain that I had been wearing it when everything took place, but now, I couldn't find it.

"What are you looking for?" Darry asked, coming up next to me as I flipped the pillow over again.

"My necklace," I sighed softly. I had a feeling it was hopeless.

"This one?" Steve asked, producing said necklace. I smiled at him and caught it as he tossed it to me. "The clasp must be broken, the fuzz brought it over later that night," he explained before I could even ask how he managed to get a hold of it.

"Thanks," I said, smiling. I looked at the clasp, and sure enough, the loop was only partway closed. I grimaced and stuck it in my pocket instead.

"All the paperwork's signed, right?" I asked.

"Yeah," Darry nodded, sensing that I just wanted to get outta there.

"Good," I said as I walked out of the room, my purse thrown over my shoulder. I made it to the parking lot before everyone else, for a moment trying to decide whose car I would ride in. Normally, I had no problem riding in the bed of Darry's truck, but with the migraine still fading, I decided to wait next to Steve's car.

"Ready?" Steve asked as I sat in the passenger seat. Two-Bit decided to ride with the Curtis's.

"Yupp," I sighed. In all reality, I was far from ready. I didn't want to ever go back inside that house s'long as I lived. But I knew it was hopeless. I needed a change of clothes, and eventually, I'd have to pack up the house to move into the new one. I looked out the window as we drove; the silence a bitter sweet reminder that nothing was okay just yet.


	6. Chapter 5

I stood outside my childhood home for a long, long time, just staring up at the front door, unable to actually bring myself to take the fateful step forward. The yellow police tape made it all the more real. It hadn't just been some painfully vivid nightmare. It was real.

I found myself thinking about my father – a cruel, cold man, who was once a loving, tender father. Until his wife was shot to death. He used to love all of us kids, even when there were too many of us to fit in the small two bedroom home. Back when Tyler and I were still too young to leave, and Tommy, Mary and Michelle were still little kids, we always had to fight over who would get one of the two beds and who would ultimately wind up on the floor. That was around the time I mastered the art of sleeping just about anywhere.

_Tyler would know what to do,_ I thought tiredly. _Tyler always knew what to do. _

I couldn't bring myself to step forward, not even when Two-Bit walked up to me, nearly scaring me half to death.

"What do ya need outta there? I'll run in and grab it for ya," he asked gently. I simply shook my head. Last time anyone went in my house, they were almost shot to death. _Just like mom._ I thought painfully.

I took a shaking breath, before finally taking one step forward. I felt a reassuring hand on my shoulder and upon looking up, I saw Darry's eyes lock on mine.

"You're gonna be okay," he said, almost as if he knew it deep, deep down. I nodded and finally put my fears aside as I opened the front door. The smell of old blood and rotting food hit my nose. I cringed, before making a beeline for the bedroom I shared with my younger sisters.

Inside the room, I found it oddly empty. The girls clothes and their few toys had been removed I assumed by the social worker. I quickly threw a few pairs of jeans, my work skirt, and a few shirts into my old back pack, before grabbing my small bag of makeup and hair grease off my dresser. I normally wore my hair up, my slicked back my bangs with grease most days – it was easier than trying to put it any other way, my thick, curly hair hard to manage as it was. I was about to run out of the room, when I remembered that I would be needing my black dress for the funeral. The dress was once my mother's, and would one day be my sister's. I snatched it out of the closet, along with the old, thickly woven jacket I normally never wore. After one final sweep of the room, I ran out into the hall, eager to be rid of the memories that were crashing down.

Once outside, I threw the bag of clothes into the back of Darry's truck, before taking a deep, shaking breath, trying to calm my nerves.

"I'll meet you at the house," I told Darry, who had been watching me like a hawk.

"You aren't walking alone," he said gently.

"I'll walk with her," Soda spoke up. Darry gave him a knowing nod, before getting behind the wheel, closing the door behind me.

"Straight to the house, you hear?" he said, his tone gentle.

"We're too old to be bossed around, Darry," I teased, but I knew he knew we wouldn't be making any pit stops.

Soda and me walked down the street slowly, knowing that it would only take a minute or two to clear the distance between the two houses. We walked in silence, until a mangy, grease covered mutt came running towards me. I smiled to myself, recognizing the dog right off the bat. It was one of the many stray dogs that roamed the streets, but the only one Mary had ever bothered to name. Even tried to convince our father to let us keep him, but that didn't go over well.

"C'mere Greaser," I called, patting my leg. The young mutt came bounding up, his tail wagging. I saw that he was still wearing the collar Mary had bought for him. Tucked under it, was a piece of paper.

I pulled the paper free and opened it, surprised to find it was a note. I was even more surprised to find it was from Mary. I knew the girls home was on the other side of town, so how Greaser ended up finding her, I'd never know.

_Jo,_

_I hate it here. The girls here are so mean. Not Dallas Winston mean either. Mean, as in, having no problem teasing a four year old mean. Mickey's going through a real tough biting phase right now, so all the other girls keep on hitting her, like she's some dog or something. _

_They're letting us go to the funeral tomorrow. But they said we're supposed to stay away from you and the gang. 'Course we ain't having none of that. We'll see you as soon as they let us go. _

_Jo, please keep fightin' for us. I don't like this place one bit, and they're really, really awful here. I keep having those dreams again too. _

_I hope Greaser finds you like he found me. I think he followed the social worker here or somethin' because outta the blue, he was in the yard, barking up a storm. Maybe…maybe you could take him in for a few days. Keep ya company or something._

_I love you sis,  
Mary Beth Cedar. _

"Good boy," I whispered, rubbing the dog's head absentmindedly. I felt tears welling in my eyes as I read the note again. Mary's sloppy handwriting was no better than most in our neighborhood, but her spelling had improved, which surprised me. I handed the note to Soda as I took off my belt and looped it around Greaser's collar.

"What are you doing?" Soda asked after he read the note.

"Bringing Greaser with me," I said with a sigh. "Ya never know, with that man still on the run, having a guard dog might be a good idea."

"Darry's never gonna let a dog in the house…" Soda said with a sigh.

"He doesn't need to. Your backyard is fenced in, I'll keep him back there," I said with a slight hint of a smile. "Otherwise he'll bark at the front door all night, trust me, that's why the damn dog got a name in the first place. That, and he got into god knows what and has a permanent greasy look about him."

Greaser barked softly, his tail wagging a mile a minute. I couldn't help but smile at the lean, mangy mutt. In so many ways, he reminded me of Dally. He was lean and on all fours came up just above my waist. His white fur was brown from dirt and grime, his black patches greasy and shining in the sunlight. He had dark chocolate eyes that danced with light. On more than one occasion, I'd seen him get into nasty scraps with the other strays, coming back with bites and tears, but always coming back.

Greaser had been coming around since just after our mom died. I think deep down, that was why Mary took to him so much. We'd had pets growing up, either a cat or dog from time to time, but when mom died, we had already lost our old dog, Lassie, after she was hit by a Soc's car a few months prior. To be fair, none of us were too fond of Lassie. She was a mean, snappy dog that was constantly nipping at Michelle, which never went over well. But our mom raised us to take responsibility, even if it meant scolding a dog that was meaner than sin.

Greaser followed beside me as we kept walking, right up the front stairs, until I gave him a quick pat on the head.

"You aren't coming inside with dirt all over you," I teased. He looked up at me with those dark eyes, a soft whine breaking free. "Oh no, don't you dare give me the innocent puppy look," I scolded. "Backyard until I figure out what I wanna do with you."

"Aw, c'mon, at least let him inside long enough to get some water," Soda said suddenly. I looked up, a smile on my face. For a single moment, he sounded just like he did back when we were kids.

"That's not up to me," I laughed. "Not my house."

"Might as well be with all the time you spend here," a deeper voice chuckled. I turned to see Darry standing against the door frame, his arms crossed across his chest. "Nice dog."

"Greaser, heal," I ordered the mutt. He barked and sat down next to me, his tail wagging. I knew he was itching to throw himself at Darry, only to shower him with kissed. That damn dog was too sweet to be on the street.

"Greaser?" Darry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mary named him. Trust me, he's the dog form of Dallas!" I laughed, rubbing a hang through the dogs matted fur. "You need a bath," I told him. He only looked up at me, his tongue lolling to one side.

Suddenly, Greaser stiffened. I looked up, scanning the immediate area for anything that might've set him off. He rose to his feet, growling softly, his floppy ears perked forward, his tail tucked.

"Get inside," I told Soda, pushing him behind me.

"Why?" he asked, catching the urgency in my tone.

"Just go," I said, my tone sharp. He looked at me, before reluctantly moving inside the house. I held onto the makeshift lead as Greaser's growls grew louder and louder, until he was snarling, his teeth bared.

"Darry, I need a knife," I said suddenly, looking up at my childhood friend. He must have seen the panic in my eyes, because he motioned for Soda to go into the kitchen. He returned a moment later, a sharp steak knife in hand. I slid it into my sleeve carefully, the movement swift and natural. It was one of the many skills I'd picked up from the gang over the years.

I was overly aware that the gang had gathered around the front door and windows, all watching me carefully.

Around the bend, just past the vacant lot, I saw a movement. At that same moment, Greaser went crazy. He growled and snapped, practically pulling me off the porch in the process. I dropped the belt, a quick "get 'im" coming from my mouth as I did so. Greaser took off, full speed, growling and barking his head off.

A moment later, it all came together, as Greaser threw himself at a man. A man I had seen one too many times. The man that took the lives of both my parents and nearly took one of my best friend's lives.

I watched in a mix of emotions, as Greaser went right for the throat. Like I said, he had the same spark Dally did. A need for danger. A need for bloodshed.

Someone must have called the cops, because within minutes, the fuzz showed up. I only moved forward when I saw one of them train a gun at Greaser's head.

"Don't shoot!" I shouted, running towards them, the knife long since discarded. Greaser ran to me, protectively stepping to my side. "He's my dog."

"Jo-Anna Beth," the officer said. For a moment, I wondered how he knew my name. Then it dawned on me, he was the one who took my statement. I nodded, then looked at the man on the ground, whose blood was splattered against the ground.

"That's him. That's the man who shot my mother all those years ago. He's the one who…who killed both my parents."

* * *

_A/n - I want to thank those of you who have read so far! It means the world to me, and I promise, in due time, the rest of the gang comes more into the spotlight - I just had to etch a few things out first. :) I'm always open to ideas, so if anyone has any, please, please let me know! _


	7. Chapter 6

I was lying on the couch later that night when Greaser suddenly got up and sniffed the air, as if he was trying to find something. I rolled over to look at him, but made no move to follow him as he wandered into the kitchen. It had been far too long of a day, and I was far too tired to deal with him. I was almost asleep when his soft barks woke me up.

"Let the dog out," Darry's voice traveled down the hall. I groaned and rolled off the couch, my head clouded with sleep as I wandered into the kitchen and opened the back door, letting Greaser push past me. As soon as he was outside, I closed the door and stumbled blindly back into the living room, falling onto the couch, sleep overtaking me so fast, I was sure I was asleep before I even hit the pillow.

"Wake up Jo," Darry's voice called early the next morning. I groaned and buried myself deep into the pillow, too tired to even fully wake up. I felt someone shake me, calling my name again.

"No," I moaned, curling into the couch. I was exhausted. It had been a very long night.

"You gotta get up," Darry said, shaking me a little rougher. I groaned and sat up, blinking sleep from my eyes. The morning sun shined through the front windows, nearly blinding me. I groaned and closed my eyes, nearly falling forward as I slipped back to sleep.

"Rise and shine," another familiar voice said bleakly. I opened my eyes again to see Two-Bit, clade in a black suit. It wasn't often that Two-Bit dressed up. Slowly, everything came back to me. It was the day we would bury my father and brother, only a few rows over from the Curtis's parents. That thought alone made me want to go back to sleep and never wake up.

I stood up tiredly, remembering that I put Greaser out in the backyard at some point during the night. I opened the front door, a sad smile on my face when he sulked inside, looking like a kicked puppy.

"Go lay down," I told him as soon as he tried to get under foot. I grabbed a cup from the cabinet and poured a cup of coffee, drinking it way too fast. The hot, bitter taste snapped me awake. Soda was in the shower, so I walked back into the living room, sitting down heavily on the couch, trying to force myself to stay awake.

"You look like crap," Pony chimed from the doorway. I shot him a dirty look, but couldn't help but laugh when I saw his tie was crooked.

"C'mere," I motioned, patting the couch next to me. He sat down, giving me a funny look when I fixed his tie.

"Anyone remember how to tie one of these?" Soda's voice rang from the hallway. I got up and walked over to him, quickly tying his tie for him.

"How'd you learn to tie ties?" he asked, giving me a goofy grin.

"My mom always said guys never remembered how to tie them. So it was up to us girls to keep the men in our lives looking sharp," I laughed at the memory. I was 10 when she told me that. I remembered giving her the biggest grin, just trying to picture Tyler or Tommy or Darry or Soda in a suit and tie.

"Your mom was right," Darry laughed, having the same problem Soda had.

"Come down to my level," I laughed. Darry had a good foot and a half on me, so he had to stoop for me to be able to even out his tie. Once he was done, I wandered into the bathroom, sort of annoyed to find that there was no hot water left. I took a fast, cold shower before getting dressed, fighting with the zipper. I looked in the mirror, not surprised to see the dark circles under my eyes. It was hard to even try and look decent with the sling keeping my right arm in place, but I didn't care. My shoulder ached, but didn't hurt as bad as it did a few days before.

"You've got company," Darry said as he knocked on the bathroom door. I opened it, surprised to see Michelle in his arms. "Social Services decided to let them ride with us." I smiled, kissing my baby sister's forehead.

"Hey little girl," I smiled, ruffling her thick, curly hair.

"Jo, why does Greaser look so…clean?" Mary's voice traveled down the hall. When I saw her, it almost broke my heart. She had a pretty nasty shiner over her right eye, her left cheek was bruised and her lip was swollen. She had her long, curly, strawberry blonde hair tied back. The dress she wore was the same one I wore to our mother's funeral all those years ago.

"Because he got a bath," I sighed. "Greaser's a hero, don'tchaknow."

"I heard. Everyone at the girls home insists on having him," she laughed. "Does this mean we get to keep him?" Her eyes were begging me to say yes.

"Yeah, sure," I nodded. "You know, I'm talking to Judith tomorrow about getting you two back," I added sheepishly. The new house would be in my name as of the morning, and I was more than ready to bring home my sisters.

"Really?" Mary said excitedly. "How'd you manage that one?"

I quickly gave her a rundown of the conversation I had with the lawyer, while feeding Michelle pieces of scrambled eggs. She seemed to be the only one who was actually hungry that morning. Of course, halfway through I saw what Mary meant when she said she was going through a biting phase. Every few minutes, she'd clamp down on my hand, giving me a funny look with those big, blue eyes of hers.

She smiled brightly at the news, but seemed to remember that it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. We still had an uphill battle before us, starting with the funerals.

We all piled into Darry's truck. Michelle sat up front with Darry and Ponyboy, while the rest of us climbed into the back. The weather seemed to match our moods, the sky dark with clouds. Even Greaser was coming with us. He laid down between Soda and me, his head on his paws.

At the cemetery, I held Michelle on my left hip, while we gathered around the two caskets. Both were tightly sealed. As the minister went over the final words, I watched on with sadness and desperation.

"Would the family like the say any final words?" the minister asked gently. I handed Michelle to Soda and stepped forward, kneeling beside my brother's casket.

"You were so fucking brave, you know that? You never knew when to shut your trap and let fate run its course. I hope the girls take some of your courage these next few weeks," I said, my voice barely a whisper. "I love you, Tommy, more than I ever dared to admit." Tears fell from my eyes as I laid a hand on his casket. I didn't say a single word about my father. He was a cruel, heartless man, and I didn't really care that he was gone. Maybe, deep down I did, but in that moment, all I felt was hate.

I returned to my friends, took hold of Michelle again, and watched as Mary stepped forward, bawling her eyes out as she said her final goodbyes to her older brother and father.

We watched in silence as the two caskets were lowered into the ground, beside our mother and Ty, where for once, they would rest peacefully forever.

After the funeral, I found myself heading directly to the more familiar plots. I sat down on the damp grass as a roll of thunder rumbled in the background. I placed a hand on the headstone, my heart sinking.

"Damnit, I wish you guys were still here," I found myself saying, despite my will to only think it. "I really need you, Martha," I sobbed. She had been like another mother to me all those years. "It's not fair. Blow after blow after blow."

"You got that right," Soda said, coming to sit beside me. I knew he and the rest rarely visited their parents. It was too hard, even after all this time. Soda put an arm around me, and even long after the rain began to fall, we sat there, quietly lost in our own thoughts.

It would be almost 3 years before we returned to that spot, only when we did, it'd be bringing good news, not sad, bitter tears. Even as Michelle crawled into my lap, her head resting on my chest and tears falling down her cheeks. Even as Mary sat between Soda and me, crying bitterly. I found myself wondering if there was hope. I wondered if there was something to all this heartache. Because if there wasn't, all this was for nothing, and nothing good comes outta nothing.

Darry let us sit there until the rain started to pour down on us. Then he scooped Mickey up in his arms, before telling the rest of us to get up. Slowly, one by one, soaked to the core in rain, mud and tears, we went back to the truck, no one really saying much of anything.


	8. Chapter 7

It was hard saying goodbye to the girls after the funeral, but deep down, I found myself grateful that for at least one night, I could afford to grieve without having to comfort my two younger sisters. Nearly as soon as we got back to the house, I shrugged out of my wet clothes, slipped on one of Darry's old t-shirts and a pair of my shorts and curled up in the darkest, most remote corner of the house. Greaser stuck to me like glue, never making a single sound, except for soft panting from time to time. I twisted my fingers in his thick fur, tears silently rolling down my cheeks.

Around dinner time, Darry came and told me if I didn't eat, he'd hold me down and force it down my throat. Even though I knew it was an empty threat, I followed him into the kitchen silently, slipping scraps of chicken down to Greaser from time to time, not really feeling all that hungry.

I listened while the rest of the gang tried to make small talk, but no one was really in all that good of a mood. The deaths of two of our own were still fresh in our minds, and now, even though none of them had been very close to Tommy, and even less so with my father, it struck a chord.

After dinner, I found myself digging around for an old rope, so I could go for a walk with Greaser. Normally, Martha would have known right away where to find it, but in the two years since she passed, the house hasn't exactly stayed as organized as it was before. I winded up digging through Soda's closet, when I came across an old photograph, one I hadn't seen in years. I rocked back on my heels, a smile forming on my lips. It was the only professional picture any of us had ever had taken. I remembered the day so clearly.

Michelle was only a few months old, and both Martha and my mom thought it was about time we got a picture of the entire gang, Michelle and all. So all of us, Steve, Soda, Darry, Ponyboy, Two-Bit, Dallas, Johnny, Martha, Darrel, my mom and dad, Mary, Michelle and me, along with Two-Bit's mom, all went down to the park, on a beautiful, sunny Friday afternoon, and had someone snap the picture. I felt tears well in my eyes, before I stuck the picture back where I found it.

The yard's worth of rope I'd been looking for, was shoved between a few pairs of jeans that were way too small for Soda. I pulled it out and looked at it for a moment, before pulling myself to my feet, tying it to Greaser's collar, and making my way out the front door.

"Want any company?" Soda offered, looking up from the cards in his hand. He, Ponyboy and Steve were sitting around the coffee table, playing poker.

"No, but Steve's got an Ace in his shoe," I said flatly as I stepped outside.

It wasn't until I was a few blocks over that I realized it was freezing outside. I was clad in only a pair of jeans and Darry's oversized t-shirt, and as soon as the bitter wind started to blow, I wanted to kick myself for not thinking ahead. I knew it would only lead to a nasty cold, so I decided to walk as quickly as possible, not really wanting to get sick when I had so much to do in the coming days.

Greaser stopped short just a few blocks from the house, growling softly, his ears perked. A blue mustang pulled up, and wouldn't ya know, when the window rolled down, one of the few Socs I actually could stomach was driving.

"You need a lift?" Jacob Smith asked. He had a real gentle look to him and after the rumble about a year ago, he had been nothing but kind to me. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact he was terrified of Darry.

"Sure," I said, sliding in after loading Greaser into the back seat.

"How're you holding up?" he asked softly as he pulled away from the curb. "I heard about what happened." He looked at the sling, his face going slightly pale.

"Alright, all things considered," I sighed. "How's school?" Jacob was Soda's age, but still in high school.

"Alright I guess. Haven't seen Mary around lately, what happened with her?" he asked.

"State decided to step in. I gotta sort it out these next few days," I sighed. "I'm staying here, pull over," I said as we almost passed the Curtis house.

"I figured," he said with a sad smile. "Ya know, if you ever need anything…" he said awkwardly.

"I'll let ya know," I nodded my thanks. "See ya around Jake. Stay outta trouble."

"Will do. Tell the guys I said hey," he said before pulling away. I shook my head, not for the first time wondering why it was just my luck to make peace with a Soc of all people.

"You're back fast," Soda noted as I walked through the door, untying the makeshift leash from Greaser's collar.

"It's freezing outside," I chuckled. "I got a ride."

"I saw that, was that Jake?" Darry asked, coming into the living room.

"Mhm, he says hey," I said with a shrug. I walked into the kitchen and flipped on the burner, rubbing my hands together. Glory, I was freezing. I looked out the window, seeing that the snow had turned to sleet. "Great," I muttered.

"What?" Darry asked, following my gaze.

"If it's already turning to ice, the roads are gonna be hell tomorrow morning," I sighed. I hated walking when the roads were slick. I'd almost been plowed over a few times for that very reason.

"You're going to work tomorrow?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I got a three hour shift before I gotta head down to talk to Judith about the girls. I get the keys to the house after that though, so hopefully, if all goes good and well, I'll have the girls back by next week," I said, putting the tea pot on the burner. I went to the cupboard and pulled out one of the few coffee cups that hadn't winded up broken, before turning to the pantry to search for a tea bag. Martha used to insist on a warm cup of tea after being out in the cold to ward off a cold.

"You haven't broken that habit yet, huh?" Darry observed. I turned and smiled at him.

"Some habits are hard to break," I smiled. "Besides, it always worked before."

"True," he laughed, tossing me a tea bag. "We're almost out of tea though."

"I'll swipe a few from the diner tomorrow," I stated, before glancing down at Greaser, who was looking up at me with hungry eyes. "I didn't feed you yet, did I?" I asked, laughing. I pulled out a plate and scooped some dog food onto it before setting it down on the floor.

"That damn dog woke me up last night," Darry laughed, patting his head.

"He's not used to being confined," I stated, looking down at the dog. "I'm glad he's around though. Sometimes, the best listener is the one that can't talk back."

"How are you doing, anyway?" he asked carefully.

"Better, actually. I hate to say it…like, I really hate to say it, but I'm getting used to it, ya know? Losing people?" I saw the look on Darry's face. He hated it that we were all growing so used to the bleak reality of life.

"I know whatcha mean," he sighed, resting a hand on my shoulder. For a whole moment, I almost wanted to wrap my arms around him and pull him in for a hug, but that just wasn't how we were. I'd hug just about anyone, at any time, but with Darry, it was different. Only some of the time did it actually work in that way.

The phone rang suddenly, and I found myself wondering who would be calling at such a late hour. A moment later, Soda was calling my name.

"It's for you."

The last time someone called for me, it was bad news. I took a deep breath and walked into the living room, taking the phone from Soda.

"Hello?"

"Jo-Anna, it's Judith," a familiar voice chirped. "I've got some news for you."

"Good or bad?" I asked instantly.

"Good, actually," she said brightly. "I know it's late, and normally, we wouldn't go about it this way, but the girls won't go to sleep, and given the…well given the circumstances, after speaking it over with the police and the other social workers, we came to a decision that I think would greatly benefit you, the Curtis boys too."

"Really?" I asked, shooting Darry a look. He was watching from the doorway, his face emotionless.

"Really, now why don't you come on down and we'll talk? Bring Darrel with you too, if he's not busy," she said. I could hear the smile in her voice.

"He's not busy," I said with a soft chuckle. "We'll be down in about 20 minutes," I added before hanging up.

"What did you do?" I mouthed, giving Darry a funny look.

"Why?" he asked, his expression changing to one of concern.

"No, don't freak," I said quickly, "It's apparently good news…" I wasn't so sure. It seemed very odd that Judith wanted to see Darry and me both. That's never happened before, even though she, as well as the Curtis' social worker, was aware of the current arrangements, even as far back as after my mother's death. They never seemed to question it, because one way or another, we were keeping each other's family intact.

"What's up?" Soda asked, giving me a funny look.

"I'm not entirely sure. We'll be back, though," I said, tossing Darry his keys. His eyes widened, almost as if he still thought it was not good news. "C'mon, the longer we wait, the more crazy we'll drive ourselves."

We both hurried out of the house, careful not to slide on the slippery stairs.

"Drive slow," I cautioned. Darry was the best driver out of the whole gang, but I knew when he was worried, he drove carelessly, something I was constantly hollering at him about. He, for once, listened, taking it slow, even more aware of the dangerous black ice.

As we walked up the steps to the girls' home, I wasn't sure what I was expecting. Judith was standing outside, a thick jacket pulled tightly around her.

"Well c'mon in," she said brightly. "It's freezing out here."

We followed her in, both exchanging worried glances. We definitely weren't sure what to expect.


	9. Chapter 8

"Jo!" I heard a very familiar, very welcomed cry. I knelt down, just as Michelle, who had been trying to run up to me, stumbled and nearly fell face first into my chest.

"Hey baby!" I laughed, pulling her in for a hug. She grabbed onto my shoulders, which resulted in me hissing with pain when she landed heavily on my bad shoulder. "Watch the shoulder, sweetheart," I said gently as I picked her up with one arm, resting her naturally on my hip.

"Jo!" Again, another very welcomed cry. Mary ran to me, but unlike her sister, she carefully hugged me. "I can't believe you came!"

"Well, darlin', when someone calls looking for me at this time of night, you bet your britches I'm gonna come when called," I laughed, sounding just like my mother had. "What's all this about, Judith?"

"Well," she smiled up at Darry, slightly intimidated by how close he stood to me and the girls. "Seeing how you're currently staying with Darrel and his brothers, and seeing how you're getting the keys to the house behind theirs tomorrow morning, and what with the girls crying something awful all night, we decided to release them to you, under one condition," she said brightly.

"What's the condition?" I asked, alarmed.

"That you all remain at Darrel's house until you fully move into the new house, just to be on the safe side, with your shoulder still healing and all," she said carefully, smiling at Darry. "With that said, we've talked it over with the Curtis' worker, and she also agrees that the arrangement seems fair enough, s'long as everyone agrees."

"We agree," Darry and I both said at the same time. Judith laughed at that, smiling brightly.

"Now, this is not to say you're gaining full custody of the girls just yet – there will still be a hearing, and you'll still have to prove yourself to the court, but given the circumstances, and given that you and the boys have a similar situation, we decided that it might be best to have you all together. Under normal circumstances, this would be unheard of, but you had quite a few people pulling strings for you, myself included," she said with a sly smile. "Now go on and drive carefully. The roads are horrible tonight," she said as she handed Darry the two bags that had the girls' few possessions in them. "Goodnight!"

"Bye!" Mary said eagerly rushing ahead of us. Michelle remained silent, her hands locked tightly to my shoulder. I wrapped her jacket tightly around her, before heading outside. The temperature had dropped again, and as soon as the cold air hit me, I shivered.

"C'mon, I've got Mickey," Darry said. I nodded and handed her over.

"That was…unusual," I chuckled as we packed into the truck.

"Tell me 'bout it," he laughed. "We gotta rethink the sleeping arrangements…"

"We'll sort that out when we get to the house," I said, stifling a yawn.

"Who do you think pulled the strings?" Mary asked, hugging me tightly.

"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say Two-Bit's mom prolly called, and I know a few girls at the diner were set on helping out," I said, thinking it over. "But what I don't understand, is why she was so willing to practically hand you both over, s'long as Darry was there."

"Maybe she's convinced Darry's been a good enough guardian to Soda and Pony, and that he can teach you a thing or two?" Mary said sheepishly.

"Or maybe Darry's Superman after all," I said, throwing him a sideways glance. There was something he wasn't telling me, I just knew it.

Michelle cuddled into my chest, her tiny hands still tightly gripping my shoulder. It was like she didn't want to let go.

"Hey, babygirl, you good?" I asked, pulling her back a little so I could study her face. She shook her head and did the one thing I wished she hadn't. She sank her teeth into my arm. "Ouch, no biting," I said gently, pulling her back. "What was that for anyway?"

"Mama," she said, tears slipping down her cheeks. Suddenly it all made sense. Michelle was barely a year old when our mother died. I was the closest thing to a mother she knew.

"Hey, shh, it's okay," I said, rocking her back and forth, my eyes locked on the road. "Darry, pull over a sec," I said, not daring to take my eyes off the road.

"Why?" he asked. He sounded exhausted.

"You're swerving too much," I said simply. He didn't argue with me. He pulled up to the curb, and turned off the engine.

"Mickey, if I sit you on Mary's lap, will you be okay?" I asked gently. She shook her head wildly. "What if I have Darry hold you? Darry's nice and warm, and you'll prolly fall asleep before we reach the house." Again, she shook her head. I didn't want to let her go, but Darry was practically falling asleep at the wheel. "Mickey Mouse, I need to switch seats with Darry, and I can't drive with you in my lap."

"Mama," she said again. I pressed my eyes shut, too tired and cold and quite frankly, I wasn't feeling too awesome, though it was amazing to have my baby sister back in my arms.

"Mickey Mouse, if you listen to me now, I'll warm you up a nice cup of milk when we get home and we can spend all night reading one of Pony's books, how does that sound?" I bribed.

"I'll even bake cookies," Mary said sheepishly, opening her bag to show me that she had the ingredients, minus the eggs.

"How's that sound?" I asked, looking into my sister's sad eyes.

"Kay," she said with a nod. I smiled and passed her to Mary, before nudging Darry softly.

"Hey, sleepyhead, we're trading seats," I said softly. He groaned, but pushed the door open. I was too cold to go back outside, instead, I crawled over Mary carefully, taking Darry's seat while he went to my side of the truck.

"Mary, give Mickey to Darry and buckle up. The roads are slick tonight," I said as I fastened my seat belt. Mary didn't complain like she normally would. She knew as well as I did, just how dangerous a slick road could be.

I pulled off the curb and got us home with no problem at all. By the time we reached the house, Darry was snoring softly, Michelle sleeping soundly in his lap.

"You gonna wake them up?" Mary asked with a yawn. She looked exhausted.

"Let 'em sleep for a few more minutes," I said tiredly. "I wanna get the living room all set up for you two before I bring 'em in."

"Where're you gonna sleep?" she asked, giving me a funny look.

"It wouldn't be the first time I crashed on the floor of Soda and Pony's room," I laughed. "Besides, I'm pretty sure we've got a full house tonight," I added as I noticed Two-Bit's car in the driveway.

Mary and I both walked inside, shivering against the cold wind.

"Where's Darry?" Soda asked as soon as he saw us.

"Sound asleep," I chuckled. "Michelle's all snuggled up to him. It's too precious," I added. "We'll wake him up when I get the sleeping arrangements settled."

"Taking charge like always, huh?" Steve teased.

"Shh, it's that older sister slash almost mother thing," Mary laughed.

"Mar, go dig out some blankets, would ya? It's gonna be a cold one tonight," I instructed. "Everyone crashing here tonight, I assume?" Steve nodded and so did Two-Bit. I thought about it for a moment, then smiled. "Steve, you're on the couch, Two-Bit, you get the recliner. I'll set something up for the girls on the floor, but lord help me, one of you set on either of them, and I'll skin you myself," I decided.

"What about you?" Pony asked.

"Permitting there's not a layer of dirty laundry on your floor, I'm camping out in your room. Besides, I can almost guarantee that by halfway through the night, one of the girls are gon' wake me up anyway," I laughed tiredly. Mary came back, struggling with three blankets and four pillows.

"I sort of raided the closet," she laughed, dumping the linens on the floor.

"Try to find another blanket, the last thing I need is one of you catching a cold," I laughed. She wandered back to way she came, returning a moment later with a thick quilt. I passed out the blankets to the guys, before tossing the thicker of the two blankets down on the floor, away from the draft the door produced. I tossed the pillows down before carefully spreading the quilt out.

"Mar, go get Michelle, and try not to wake her," I said once I was done.

"What about Darry?" she asked, giving me a look.

"Darry's too old to be carried. Tell him Soda set the house on fire, that'll wake him up," I winked.

"Hey!" Soda exclaimed before cracking up.

I walked into the kitchen, where I carefully removed the sling, trying to rotate my shoulder. The cold air had made it hurt worse than before.

"How's the shoulder?" Steve asked, having seen me struggling to move it.

"Sore," I sighed. "The doctor said it might take some time to get it back to normal." I hadn't told anyone about that conversation. My hand was numb and that was scaring me, but I didn't say anything, instead, I forced my fingers to flex, grimacing at how much effort that simple task took.

"You mind?" Steve asked, coming up beside me, gently placing a hand on my shoulder. I flinched, but forced myself not to pull away as Steve straightened my arm out. Before it was perfectly straight, that pain got to be too much.

"Stop," I gasped, pain clouding my vision. Steve's hand reached up to steady me, a look of concern crossing his face.

"That bad?" he asked as he carefully helped me put it back in the sling.

"You ain't a'woofin'," I groaned, sitting down heavily, my head spinning. I took a few deep breaths, trying to settle the uneasy feeling in my stomach. I felt a cool hand on my forehead, almost jumping outta my skin when I realized it was Darry.

"Don't sneak up like that," I snapped.

"I didn't. You were dozing off," he said gently. He looked exhausted himself. "You're warm, you feeling okay? Steve told me about your shoulder." I looked up, but Steve was nowhere in sight.

"Just exhausted," I admitted.

"Head to bed," he said, his tone gentle. I grumbled but got to my feet anyway. On any normal day, sleeping on a floor wouldn't have been an issue, but that night, I was just too sore and too cold to really appreciate it. I was too tired to move the dirty laundry, so instead, I threw the blanket down, along with the pillow, before carefully lowering myself to the ground. It wasn't until I was almost comfortable, that I realized I was laying on a pile of dirty jeans.

"Don't you ever clean?" I muttered to no one in particular as I drifted off into a restless sleep.

It seemed way too early when Greaser's wet nose pressed into my side. I groaned and rolled over, totally forgetting that I was sleeping on a pile of jeans. I yelped when one of the buttons pinched me.

"Sis, wake up," Mary's voice pleaded.

"Shh, don't want the boys, what's wrong?" I said sleepily.

"Mickey won't go back to sleep," Mary said with a yawn.

"Bring her here," I said, not daring to try and make my way out of the messy room. I wasn't about to wake up either of the guys either.

I heard Mary walk back down the hall, returning a minute later with Michelle in her arms. I sat up and pulled Mickey towards me, pushing some of the clothes aside to make room for her. She curled up next to me, pushing her head into my chest. Greaser laid down across my legs, which was a welcomed sense of warmth.

"Go back to sleep, Mar, I've got Mickey now," I said gently. I saw her nod in the dim light before listening to her walk back down the hall. I pulled Michelle towards me, stroking her hair gently.

A sudden scream made me shoot right up. I glanced at the bed and saw Ponyboy thrashing in his sleep. Groaning, I stood up, careful not to step on Greaser, and shook Pony's leg.

"Pony, wake up," I said in a hushed tone. Soda was still sleeping soundly – probably too tired to have even noticed if the room fell in around him.

"Wha-," Pony sat upright, panting hard.

"Shh, calm down," I said gently. Michelle was staring at me, her eyes wide.

"Everything okay in here?" Darry's tired voice came, his tone hushed when he realized Soda was still asleep.

"Yeah, go back to bed," I said gently. Darry leaned against the doorframe, making no move to leave.

What Michelle did next, will forever surprise me. She came over to where I was standing and pulled herself up onto the bed, before crawling over to Pony, wrapping her little arms around him, smiling up at him with those big, beautiful eyes.

"S'okay Ponyboy," she said sweetly, resting her head on his arm.

I smiled at the sight, even after Pony laid back down, throwing his arm around Michelle protectively. I only turned when I realized I might as well let the dog out since I was up anyway.

"That was new," Darry said, following me into the kitchen.

"I know, of all the guys, I never knew Michelle was that comfortable with Pony," I laughed softly as I flipped on the light. Greaser went to the door and sat down, waiting for me to let him out.

I opened the door and let Greaser out, actually welcoming the cold breeze. I shut the door quietly, before carefully stepping into the living room, grabbing the first coat my hands touched. It just happened to be Steve's. I pulled it on, before grabbing my back of cigarettes off the end table.

"Where're you going?" Steve asked tiredly, looking at me in the dim light.

"Just for a smoke. Sorry, didn't mean to wake you," I said with a smile.

"You didn't, Pony did with all that shouting," he yawned, sitting up. "Is that my jacket?"

"I didn't want to knock anything over looking for mine," I said sheepishly. Steve stood up and grabbed the blanket off the couch, wrapping it around himself as we both walked back through the kitchen and out the back door. It hadn't started snowing yet, but the cold air proved that it would soon.

"Glory, it's cold," Steve said, pulling the blanket tighter around himself.

"Mm," I said tiredly, pulling my knees up into the jacket after I lit the cigarette.

"Did Mary wind up bringing you Michelle?" he asked, throwing me a look.

"Yeah. But she ended up curling up between Soda and Pony after he woke up," I smiled. "Did she wake you up?"

"Sorta, heard her crying in her sleep," he shrugged.

"I'm surprised Mary's sleeping so soundly," I laughed. I blew out a puff of smoke, staring up at the overcast sky.

"You want help moving stuff into the new house later?" Steve offered. "Soda and me are off tomorrow."

"Sure, that'd be great," I nodded. "I figure we'll have to see if Darry can spare the truck. Other than the beds, I really wanna get the living room set in the new house before anything else."

"I'm off tomorrow," Darry said, coming to sit with us.

"Good," I nodded. Greaser came up and sat across my feet, making a purring sound, his tail thumping on the stairs.

"Greaser, you're wet," I laughed, pushing him away. His fur was wet from running in the grass.

"Thinkin' of keeping him?" Darry asked, petting the dog's head.

"Might as well," I nodded. "He's good company. That house is gonna be awful quiet."

"What are you gonna do about the fence," Steve asked, motioning to the old, rusted fence that separated the properties.

"Thinkin' about tearing it down. We always left our back doors unlocked, and I figure, why not keep that habit with the new place," I shrugged. "This way, no matter what, we're still not more than a couple leaps and bounds away."

"You think the new house needs any repairs?" Darry asked, eyeing the roof of the house across from us.

"I'm sure the roof needs fixing," I said with a yawn. "If I remember correctly, it hasn't been replaced since I was born. I'll see how bad it is before I talk to your boss though," I laughed.

"Why talk to my boss?" Darry asked, giving me a funny look.

"'Cause you ain't working for free or working on that whole roof on your lonesome!" I laughed. "'Sides, my dad had money put away to get our own roof fixed at some point. I have it in the bank still," I shrugged.

"Really?"

"Yeah, we were meaning to get it fixed for a while now," I shrugged. "But seeing how everything just kept getting all messed up, we never managed to remember."

"What are you doing out here?" A small voice chimed. I looked up to see a very sleepy Mary standing inside the screen door.

"Go back to sleep, we'll be in in a minute," I shooed her away.

"Where's Mickey?" she asked, looking between the three of us.

"With Soda and Pony," I smiled. "She decided she liked them better than me."

"Smart kid," Mary laughed before closing the door behind her.

I laughed at that, then pulled myself to my feet, knocking Greaser over in the process. I went towards the door, but had to stop when Greaser tried pushing past me.

"Not so fast big guy, you're not about to track mud through the house like a teenage guy," I laughed, grabbing hold of his collar. "Kitchen only until you dry off." I walked him in, tying him to the leg of the table. He whined when I turned to walk away, but before I was completely out of the room, I caught Darry throwing him a piece of leftover hotdog. I shook my head and slipped out of Steve's coat, placing it gently on the back of the recliner, where Two-Bit was snoring loudly. Mary was curled up in a ball, the blanket wrapped tightly around her.

I wasn't too tired, so instead, I walked back to the boys' room, to check on everyone. I was surprised to see Ponyboy sitting up with Michelle in his lap, reading her a book quietly.

"Hey," I smiled as I stepped in, pulling a few pairs of dirty jeans off the floor. "Don't stay up too long, we've got a lot to get done tomorrow," I said as I went over and planted a kiss on Michelle's head.

"Pony's reading," she beamed brightly.

"I see that," I chuckled. "Don't wake Soda, alright?" I said, more to Pony than Michelle.

"He's dead to the world," Pony laughed.

I went over to Soda's side of the bed and knelt down, brushing his hair out of his face. He didn't even so much as twitch. I gently touched his forehead, letting out a soft sigh.

"Keep an eye on him, wouldya? He's a little warm," I said, turning to pick up the jeans again. After I had as many pairs as I could carry in one arm, I walked into the bathroom and piled them into the hamper.

"You've really got that mother thing down, huh?" Steve joked when he saw me walking back down the hall, picking up stray socks and shoes in the process.

"Guess so," I laughed softly. "Go back to sleep, otherwise, no one's gonna wanna get up in the morning." He nodded and went back to the couch, laying down heavily. I flipped off the light and smiled when the sound of three snoring people hit my ears.

"Everyone asleep?" Darry asked from where he sat at the table, slouched over a pile of bills.

"Except Pony and Michelle," I nodded. "Can't those wait till morning?" I asked, motioning at the bills.

"I guess," he said, stifling a yawn.

"Go back to bed," I said with a smirk. "I'll clean up the kitchen then head back myself."

"You sound like a mom," he teased. I smiled and shook my head. "Someone has to," I laughed softly as I pushed the dirty dishes into the sink. I wasn't going to bother with washing them tonight. Instead, I went back into the bathroom and grabbed the hamper, balancing it skillfully on my hip, much like I did with Michelle, before turning to the laundry room, where I threw a load of jeans in the wash. I made a mental note to have someone hang them out to dry in the morning, permitting the air wasn't too cold. Otherwise, I would string a line in the kitchen and let them dry there, much like my own mother did so many times in the colder months.

"Can't sleep, huh?" a familiar voice jerked me from my thoughts. I saw Soda standing in the doorway.

"Pony finally wake you up?" I asked sheepishly.

"Naw, I have to pee," he laughed, heading towards the bathroom.

"Then go back to bed," I scolded gently.

"Why?" he asked, giving me a funny look.

"It's been a long day," I laughed. "Anyway, I'm making those two go to bed as soon as I'm done here," I added, making another note to scold Pony for letting Mickey stay up this late. Maybe I would decide against it though, since she seemed real happy that Pony was reading to her, something I never had time to do anymore.

"Mkay," Soda said tiredly, slipping into the bathroom. I walked back into the boys' room, happy to see that Pony had turned off the light. Michelle was curled tightly into his side, sleeping soundly. I smiled at the scene, before moving the blankets on the floor again, so that they were a little less bunched up.

As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was out. Until a few moments later when Greaser's wet nose pressed against my neck as he slid under the blankets with me. Soda must have unleashed him. I smiled fondly as I rolled over, curling up next to the big, furry dog, letting sleep finally take over. Glory, it had been one long ass day.


	10. Chapter 9

I was rudely awaken by someone's foot connecting with my bad shoulder. I cried out, jerking upright, biting back a howl.

"Sorry!" Pony yelped, crouching down next to me.

I was about to open my mouth to say something, when pain shot right down my arm, forcing me to bite down hard to keep from screaming. Instead, I got to my feet and slammed the bathroom door shut, leaning heavily on it.

"Jo, I'm sorry," Pony shouted through the door. Tears rolled down my cheeks as I took deep breaths, trying to keep from saying something I'd regret later. I walked over to the shower and turned it on, carefully removing my arm from the sling. It'd been over a week and I was tired of trying to keep from knocking the damn arm. So I stuck it under the cold water, hissing at the sting that came from the entry wound. I let the water sooth the ache out of my muscles, deciding there and then to take a shower.

I took an exceptionally long time, making a mental note to pay Darry for the water involved in such a long shower. Half way through, the pain was unbearable. I sat down in the tub, letting the cold water hammer down on my body. The shampoo finally rinsed from my hair, giving me enough motivation to get out and get dried off.

Rather than try to get my arm back in the sling, I held it against my body, still trying to keep from screaming with how awful it hurt. I walked into the kitchen and saw Pony looking at me with big, scared eyes.

"Stop it, kid," I snapped, walking over to the counter, trying to figure out how I would pour a cup of coffee while holding my arm in place. "Ain't your fault anyway."

"I am sorry, Jo," he said, rushing over to pour the coffee for me.

"I know," I said before sitting down. I tried to move my shoulder, but the pain was just too much. I wound up letting my arm rest in my lap while I sipped the bitter liquid in front of me.

"What the hell," Steve grumbled, walking into the kitchen. "Can't anyone sleep past six around here?"

"Shut up," I snapped, too tired and too sore to deal with his attitude.

"Ouch, who shit in your coffee this morning?" he asked bitterly.

"I accidently kicked her shoulder when I got up," Pony said, looking at the floor. I noticed how Steve's expression changed.

"How bad does it hurt?" he asked, his tone way too soft.

"A lot," I sighed. I normally wasn't one to admit something like that to the guys, but it was beginning to worry me. A lot.

"Lemme see," Soda said. The door slamming must have woken him up. I looked at him with pleading eyes. Everyone knew Soda could put anyone to sleep when he gave them a massage, but the last thing I wanted was him touching my bad shoulder. "Trust me," he said gently taking my arm in his hands.

I hissed, trying to keep from throwing a punch at his face, when moments later, the pain was much more tolerable. I half closed my eyes, breathing a sigh of relief as the pain nearly vanished.

"Sodapop Curtis, I swear to god, if you weren't so damn good with cars, I'll tell you to become a masseuse," I breathed, a smile creeping on my face.

"Told ya," he said, pulling away gently. I flexed my fingers, smiling at how easy the motion was now. I even went as far as to pick up my cup. It didn't hurt like it did the past week.

"Thanks," I said, smiling up at him. He gave that movie star grin. "Pony, stop moping," I added, throwing him a smile.

"I'm still sorry," he muttered, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets.

"Apologize one more time, and I'll give ya something to be sorry about, kid," I teased. I stood up, tripping over Greaser, who must have followed Soda into the kitchen.

"Dog, move," I said, nudging him with my foot. He went under the table, wagging his tail eagerly. I went back to the bedroom and picked up Michelle, who was still half asleep. "Rise and shine sleeping beauty," I smiled, letting her cuddle into my chest.

"Who's cooking?" Mary asked, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

"Why don't you cook for once?" I asked. Mary was a…creative cook to say the least. She could turn almost any combination of food into something that tasted good. I saw her eagerly go to the ice box and fish around for something to cook.

"When was the last time anyone cleaned?" she asked, crinkling her nose as she pulled out a rotten tomato.

"Uh," Pony started laughing before he could come up with a good explanation. I shook my head, nearly walking face first into Two-Bit's chest as he came around the corner.

"Morning," he said, grinning wildly.

"Mornin'," I said, smiling. I laid Michelle on the sofa, where I knew she'd wind up dropping off again, before heading back towards the bedrooms. Darry hated sleeping late, especially when there was a lot to get done. I noticed his door was partially opened, something he never normally did.

"Dar?" I called softly. I got no response, so I opened the door a little wider. "Darry?" Still no response. I walked over to the other side of the bed, so in the event I startled him, I wasn't at risk of getting swung at. "C'mon Darry, get up," I said softly, shaking him gently. As soon as my hand touched his arm, I noticed how warm he was. I reached up and placed the back of my hand on his forehead. He was burning up. "C'mon Dar, wake up, just for a minute," I pleaded, sitting on the edge of his bed. He looked awfully pale, even in the dim light coming through the blinds.

"Everything okay?" Soda asked, his expression changing when he caught sight of the look on my face.

"He's burnin' up," I sighed, shaking my head. "Go fetch a cold cloth, would ya?"

When Soda returned a minute later, I was still trying to get Darry to wake up, just long enough to find out just how bad he felt. I placed the cloth on his forehead, talking softly, just like both of our mothers had done over the years.

"C'mon Dar, just for a minute," I said softly, running my fingers through his hair. He groaned and turned a little green. I moved out of the way just in time, as he lurched from the bed, narrowly making it to the bathroom in time.

Soda looked a little startled as I pushed him down the hall.

"Get the girls and Pony and go keep yourselves busy for a while, okay? No sense in all of you catching whatever bug Darry's got," I instructed. Soda nodded, seeming grateful that he wasn't the one who had to deal with this. This was up my alley. It was something I could handle just fine. I walked into the bathroom and knelt down next to Darry, handing him a glass of water while I pressed the cloth back to his forehead.

"Urgh," he moaned. He looked awful.

"Easy," I said gently. It would have been funny, if he didn't look so bad. "When did you start feeling sick?" I asked, getting right to the point.

"A few days ago, I guess," he muttered as he leaned against the bathtub, his face still a bit green.

"Why didn't you say anything?" I asked. I didn't get a response though, since a moment later, he was hugging the toilet again. I sighed and got up, digging through the medicine cabinet for the thermometer.

"Open up," I said, sticking the thermometer under his tongue. When it beeped, I was relieved to see it was only a slight fever, just barely over 101. I nodded to myself, figuring it was just the flu.

"Bed, now," I ordered, helping him to his feet, careful not to use my bad arm. "I'll be in in a second."

"When did you become a mom?" he grumbled, but did as I said.

"About 3 years ago," I chuckled, walking into the kitchen to get a cup of water and fish out the bucket I knew was under the sink.

"Superman sick?" Steve asked. I thought I told Soda to get everyone outta the house? Everyone was crowded around the table instead.

"Yeah, reckon it's the flu," I shrugged. "He'll be fine, permitting I can convince him to actually rest for a few days."

"Can he afford to rest for a few days?" Pony asked. A moment later, he cried out. Soda shot him a dirty look.

"Yes, he can actually," I said, shaking my head. "Keep it down, okay?" I instructed as I found the bucket and proceeded to set it down next to Darry's bed. I set the glass on the nightstand, before drawing the blinds to drown out the light from the rising sun.

"Jo?" Darry asked. He sounded so young. I spun around, to find him watching me.

"Huh?" I asked, moving towards him.

"You'll be a great mom one day," he said sleepily.

"Shush now, that's the fever talkin'," I smiled, pulling his blankets up over him. "Get some rest, I'll see that the house stays quiet today. Just holler if you need somethin', we'll be running back and forth trying to get the house sorted out today."

"Shit, I forgot that was today," Darry said, trying to sit up.

"Ah, I don't think so," I said, gently pushing him back down. "You, my friend, are sleeping, you hear? You need to rest up so you can fix my roof," I smiled.

"Urgh," he moaned. I felt sad seeing him like that, but quickly reminded myself that he was a grown man, not a little kid.

"Shh, sleep," I instructed as I walked out of his room, closing his door softly behind me.

"Mama?" Mickey's voice distracted me right when I was about to grab something to eat.

"Mickey Mouse, I'm not mama," I said gently, tired of her little game.

"Mama Jo," she smiled up at me with those bright eyes. I couldn't help but smile back.

"You know missy, you're startin' to play the same card Soda used to pull," I laughed as I scooped her up. "The whole, stare and smile like a movie star act."

"Hey!" Soda cried from the table.

"Shh, what did I say about keepin' it down?" I hissed, throwing a glance back towards the bedrooms.

"He's really sick, huh?" Pony asked.

"Yeah, I'd reckon so," I said, setting Michelle down on Mary's lap. "So who would rather babysit than help move furniture?" I asked, hoping someone would volunteer. I hated forcing Mary to babysit when I knew good and well she'd want to move her own stuff.

"It depends, babysit Mickey, or Darry too?" Two-Bit laughed.

"Not funny," I took a swat at him. "I need someone to watch Mickey while we move stuff," I stated.

"I'll do it if I can have a friend over," Mary piped up, taking me by surprise.

"What friend?" I asked, watching her carefully.

"Angela," Mary said carefully.

"No," I said simply, shaking my head.

"You don't even know her!" Mary snapped.

"Angela Shepard, right?" I asked, giving her a dirty look when she nodded. "I know her enough to know my little sister is not going to be hanging out with the likes of that no good -,"

"Whoa!" Soda said, waving towards Michelle, keeping me from spewing the swears that almost left my lips.

"No, Mary Beth, no," I said simply. "But you are babysitting."

"But," she looked at me angrily.

"But nothing." That was the end of it. I made a mental note to talk to her about her so called friends once things were all sorted out. I grabbed Darry's keys off the counter, before nodding at Soda.

"We'll do it in shifts, so I don't have too many people in the house at once…" I said, looking between the guys. "Who's willing to move stuff out of the old house?"

Steve stepped forward, along with Pony, but Soda had a strange look on his face. I knew he felt the same way I did.

"Alright, me, Pony and Steve will get things loaded into the truck, drive it to the new house, where you and Two-Bit will help unload," I said, thinking it sounded like a good plan.

"Think we'll be able to manage shorthanded?" Two-Bit asked skeptically. I was about to answer when someone honked outside. I slid out the front door, surprised at what I saw.


	11. Chapter 10

Mike, along with a handful of the guys from the DX were outside, smiling widely when I opened the door. Mike tossed something at me, and thanks to having pretty great reflexes, I snatched a familiar set of keys out of the air. I looked around, then spotted it. My old, blue, beat up pickup was sitting in the drive, right behind Darry's truck.

"Morning Jo-Anna Beth," Mike said brightly. "She's good as gold now, Steve did a mighty fine job fixin' 'er up for ya," he said.

"Thanks Mike!" I said, beaming brightly. "I'll get the money to you as soon as humanly possible."

"Now don't you dare even think about it," he said, waving me off. "Free of charge."

"But-," I started. He cut me off.

"No buts. And we happened to hear you're moving today, so we'd like to help ya out as much as possible," he said with a huge grin.

"Why, that's mighty kind of ya'll," I said brightly. "Thanks!"

"No problem, just point us in the right direction, and we'll get right ta' work," he said with a grin. Soda took that moment to decide he wanted to be team manager. Of course, he was better at it than me, so I let him loose.

Around 8 the lawyer stopped by to give me to keys and once I signed for them, he wished me well.

"Hope everything works out for you," he said truthfully as he went back to his car. I waved as he pulled away, before going back to packing boxes up with old photographs and old clothes.

By dinner time, the house was coming together. All the furniture was moved in, and all that was left was a few boxes that were sitting on the front porch. Steve carried those in, while I checked in with Mary.

"Mickey's sleeping in the living room, and Darry just got up," she said as I walked through the back door.

"Where's Greaser?" I asked, looking around.

"He's with Darry," she said, motioning towards the living room, where Darry was stretched out on the couch, looking a lot better than he did that morning.

"Hey," he said when he saw me.

"How're you feeling?" I asked, going over to push Michelle's hair out of her face.

"Better," he said brightly, stroking Greaser's head. "How'd moving go?"

"We had some help," I laughed, going over the events of that day with him, until Soda came through the front door, smiling widely.

"You gotta come see," he said, beaming like a moron.

"Can't it wait?" I asked. I had just gotten comfortable.

"No, c'mon, bring the girls!" he exclaimed before dashing out the door. Darry shrugged before waving for us to go. We ran around to the back of the house, surprised that the fence was down.

"Two-Bit and Steve tore it down," he explained while leading the way. When we walked into the house, I was shocked to see how amazing it looked. Everything seemed to fit just right.

We talked for a while, before I insisted that the girls go to bed. Soda followed me inside and helped me tuck Michelle in.

We went into my room afterwards, something my mother would have never approved of. I don't know if it was just excitement from the day we had, or if we were actually feeling anything or not. But we wound up turning the light off, pulling the blanket over our heads, laughing softly as we made love for the first time.

* * *

I worked doubles the following week, so I barely saw much of anyone, much less of Soda. When Friday rolled around, I was excited to have the weekend off. I knew Soda had purposely taken that night off, so we could talk about the weekend before.

I was sitting in my living room, watching Michelle start to doze off, while Mary was off with Pony at the movies, when Soda came through the door, smiling widely.

"Hey," I said, nodding at Michelle so he'd know not to slam the door. He closed it carefully, before kneeling down to hug me.

"Have you told Darry yet?" we both asked at the same time. We cracked up, a moment later shutting up as to not wake Mickey. We moved into the kitchen, where Soda slumped into a chair.

"No," I answered, handing him a beer. "Have you?"

"Hell no," he laughed. "He'd kill us both."

"Naw, he probably already knows, especially since you told Steve," I said with a shake of my head.

"I'm just glad it didn't make stuff weird between us," he said softly. I smiled and let him wrap me in his arms before he kissed me passionately.

"It couldn't get weird, I've had a thing for you since I was 13," I laughed. Me and Soda were only a year and a few months apart, so even when we were younger, the age difference was never really something we thought about.

"I love you, you know that?" he said sheepishly, grabbing my hands and dragging me into the bedroom. I kicked the door shut, making sure it was locked before pushing him down on the bed.

"We have to tell him," I said after another round of hot, sweet romance. Soda sighed and rolled over, throwing an arm around me.

"If you think he already knows, why tell him?" he asked, giving me a funny look.

"Because, otherwise, I'm going to be jumpy around him every time I spend the night!" I teased.

"Anyone home?" a familiar voice rang clear through the house. Soda and I both jumped out of the bed, scrambling to pull our clothes on as fast as possible. I was the first one out of the room, nearly running face first into Darry, who was standing in the hallway, his arms crossed.

"Well well, what do we have here?" he teased. I blushed something fierce, trying to push past him, to use Mickey as an excuse, but when Soda came out of my room, his hair just as messy as mine probably was, instead of yelling, Darry burst out laughing.

"I should have known," he howled, laughing so hard I wondered if he was going to choke.

"It's not what it looks like," Soda said quickly.

"Oh? Then what?" Darry laughed.

"Um, we were…uh," Soda couldn't come up with an excuse, so instead, I just shrugged.

"Shoulda saw it comin'," I laughed softly.

"Sure got that one right!" Darry hooted. "Well, well, that sure does explain why you two have been having so many sleep overs lately," he chuckled.

"Shut up," I snapped, going to retrieve my sleeping sister from the couch. I tucked her into her bed, before pushing Darry towards the door.

"Oh c'mon, did you two really think I didn't know?" he asked, giving us a funny look.

"We hoped," I laughed. "How mad are you?"

"Not at all. I knew you two had a thing for each other all these years," he smiled. "I was just coming by to say that Mary's at the house."

"Oh" I laughed lightly. "Well I can't leave since Mickey's asleep," I added.

"No need, she'll be over here after dinner. I'm assuming Soda's gonna be here tonight?" he asked. Soda nodded. I smiled and pushed Darry outside.

"Good night, Darrel," I said with a laugh. He only howled more. He walked across the backyard, and once I saw the back door to his house open, I closed the door, leaning against it heavily.

"Well that sure was…uh, interesting," I laughed.

"You ain't a'woofin'!" he laughed nervously.


	12. Chapter 11

It took only two weeks to convince the judge I was the best guardian for my little sisters. After all that time spent worrying, I was thrilled to leave the courthouse, Michelle wrapped in my arms, Mary walking beside me, hand in hand with Ponyboy. It made me happy to see those two together. They were a pretty tough looking couple, what with Pony being smart and a track star, but good in a fight and good at keeping his trap shut, and Mary being so fiery and hyper. They were good for each other.

Me and Soda finally made our relationship public. It got a lot of dirty looks from the girls that hung around the DX when I started showing up, kissing Soda right in front of them, not caring who got pissed. Mike even gave me a job working counter, so I could stop pulling doubles and triples at the diner.

Soda more or less moved in with me, spending more and more time at my house than at his own, but in a sense, everyone was. We had an extra bedroom, even with Mary and Michelle each having their own, so we were constantly putting people up, from Tim Shepard to Buck a few times. Two-Bit would crash wherever we were, whether the Curtis place or mine. Sometimes, we'd even both leave the back doors open, hollering back and forth to one another, all while laughing loudly, causing the neighbors to get pretty ticked.

Things were finally looking up.

It was a week after the court hearing, when Mary came to me, a huge grin on her face. I couldn't help but smile back. I knew what day it was.

"Shh," I said, nodding towards Michelle who was napping on the Curtis' couch. I walked into the kitchen and pointed at the small pile of presents on the table. "Darry'll be home at 6," I said, looking up at the clock. "Soda has to work until 5, so that'll give us a little time to get dinner on the table and put the cake in the oven."

"What're you making for dinner?" Mary asked, looking through the pantry for the ingredients needed to make a double decker cake.

"Baked chicken, potatoes and homemade bread. It's been years since I bothered with mom's old recipes," I said with a smile. At our house, it had been a favorite amongst us kids, and more times than not, we had the whole gang over for dinner when our mom cooked it. I had stopped at the store earlier and bought everything we'd need.

It didn't take long to get everything set up, and while it baked, we sat in the living room, helping Michelle put together a card for Darry.

"Ya think he'll like it?" Mickey asked brightly, adding more glitter to the outside of the card.

"Oh yeah," Mary laughed, trying to keep the glitter from getting all over the carpet. Greaser came over to us, carrying something in his mouth. When he dropped it, I couldn't help but smile.

"Grease, I swear, Dallas Winston is living through you," I laughed, picking up a very nice looking, very expensive watch. I didn't know where in the world the dog got it, but I knew for certain it didn't belong to anyone I knew. I went through Pony's closet until I found a small box, where I tucked the watch, wrapping it in blue paper.

"G'afternoon Cur-," Two-Bit started, cutting himself off when he realized we were the only ones there. "I must have the wrong house."

"No, Pony's out getting ice cream for tonight, Soda'll be home any minute with Steve, and Darry works till 6," I said with a grin.

"On his birthday?" Two-Bit looked surprised.

"Not everyone gets off for their birthday," I reminded him.

"Still, this isn't just any birthday," Two-Bit muttered. "He's 21, right?"

"22," Mary and I both corrected at the same time.

"Really?" Two-Bit looked alarmed.

"Mhm. He turned 21 last year. Everyone just kind of let it blow over though, just like Soda's, Pony's, Mary's and mine. The only birthday we've really actually taken the time to celebrate recently was Mickey's, and that's only 'cause she finally outgrew the terrible two's stage," I said quickly.

"Then why is today so special?" Two-Bit asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because, I felt like making today special, is that so bad?" I asked, laughing softly as I looked at the clock. "Mary, get the cake out of the oven. The birds need a few more minutes still," I instructed. She dashed off to get the cake out to cool, as soon as Soda walked through the door.

"Mmm, something smells good," he said, grinning wildly, coming over to give me a quick kiss.

"Go make the frosting," I said with a smile. "Green, blue or a mix thereof, nothing else," I added as an afterthought. Soda liked making crazy colored food, but seeing how red was definitely not a good color choice, I decided to limit him to green or blue.

"Yes ma'am," he laughed, walking into the kitchen.

"Clean up when you're done!" I added.

"Yes mom," Mary and Soda said at the same time. I laughed softly before scooping Michelle up. "That's enough glitter," I cooed.

"No, no, more!" she giggled.

"You're wearing more glitter than the card!" I giggled, letting her back down. "Look at the mess you made, you silly goose," I said sweetly.

"Hey," Steve said, coming up behind me.

"Hey, you staying tonight?" I asked, giving him a good natured slap when he tried to kick over the jar of glitter.

"Yeah, can I talk to you for a sec though?" he motioned for me to follow him.

"I'll watch Mickey Mouse," Two-Bit assured me.

"I'm hoping you mean my sister, not the tv!" I laughed as I followed Steve out the front door.

"What's wrong?" I asked as soon as the door closed behind us, Greaser at my heels like usual. There wasn't a moment that dog wasn't following one of us around.

"Something came in the mail today…" he said slowly. "I don't know how to bring it up to Soda…"

"Steve, just spit it out," I said, my heart sinking. Deep down, I knew exactly what had come in the mail. He handed me a crumpled up letter, and after I unfolded it, I had to sit down. It was something we were all worried about. Steve was only a few months older than Soda was. He turned 18 the April before and we had all been worried sick that he would get drafted. When Soda turned 18 that fall, our fears intensified.

_To: Mr. Steve Randle,  
Greeting:  
You are hereby ordered for induction into the Armed Forces of the United States, and to report at Fort Sill on January 19__th__, 1967 at or before 10 A.M for forwarding into an Armed Forces Induction Station. _

I read the notice over again and again, willing it to vanish into thin air, willing one of my best friends to be able to stay with us, stay safe and away from the dangers and terrors of war. I felt tears filling my eyes, but before they fell, I wiped them away, looked at the notice once more, before handing it to Steve, pulling him in for a hug before he knew what was happening.

"You, my friend, are going to fight like no tomorrow, you hear me? No word of this until after today. We'll figure this out tomorrow," I growled in his ear, biting back the tears that were threatening to fall.

"I'm scared," Steve admitted, looking at his shoes once I pulled back.

"I know, kiddo, so am I," I sighed, giving him a reassuring smile. "This'll be sorted out tomorrow, I promise."

I couldn't deal with it right then. Instead, I walked into the kitchen, tied Greaser to the leg of the table, and pulled the three chickens out of the oven so they could cool. Soda had frosted the cake and set it in the ice box to take and for once, actually cleaned up his mess. I looked at the clock and smiled sadly. Darry would be home any minute, so I set the table before untying Greaser and sticking him out the back door. He whined when he realized he wasn't going to be able to follow me back and forth.

"Go wash up," I instructed Michelle, who immediately looked at Mary for help. Mary sighed and scooped her up, giving me a dirty look.

"You know, I have a life now, I'm not babysitting full time anymore," she grumbled.

"Keep up that attitude, and your ass won't be leaving the house until you're 20," I shouted despite not wanting to raise any flags. Soda came over and wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me towards him.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, kissing my forehead.

"Nothing," I said, forcing a smile.

"You seem sad," he said gently. I saw something in his eyes. He said I looked sad, but he looked even sadder.

"You look sad too," I said, kissing his cheek. "C'mon, we gotta put smiles on our faces for Darry's sake," I smiled. He grinned and kissed me gently, before spinning me towards the door, resulting in me colliding with Darry the second he walked through the door.

"That was unexpected," he laughed whole heartedly the second I shouted "Happy Birthday!"

"C'mon, there's cake and ice cream in the kitchen," Mary hooted, running down the hall.

"No running in the house, and dinner first!" I laughed, catching Michelle before she could trip. "You two are worse than Soda after a long car ride!"

"Hey!" Soda shoved me playfully.

"Really, settle down," I said more seriously, dumping Michelle back on the floor. "Mickey, go take a seat doll, I'll help you get your plate," I instructed.

"You cooked?" Darry gave me a skeptical look.

"I did, and it's gonna be amazing," I said brightly. "You sir, are taking the night to celebrate."

"Okay?" he said, giving me a funny look.

"Oh c'mon, Darry, you're never too old for some good Birthday fun!" I laughed, shoving him into the kitchen. His eyes widened when he saw the spread, along with the gifts piled on the counter.

"Soda, stop picking!" I snapped, causing him to drop his fork. He grinned that movie star grin, which caused us all to start laughing.

I dished out the food, even saving a few scraps for Greaser, before piling the left overs onto the counter, making room for everyone's plates.

"For he's a golly good fellow!" Two-Bit cracked. I smacked him upside the head before hugging Darry gently.

"Happy birthday, Dar," I said softly, before walking outside with my plate, needing air. The happy go lucky act might work for Soda, but it was definitely not working for me.

"She okay?" I heard Darry asked as I closed the door behind me.

"She's got something on her mind," Steve said just as I sat down. I was secretly glad that I left the kitchen window open, this way, I could hear what was said. The mood quickly turned more joyful, as the boys, along with Mary and Michelle all started chatting easily.

I stroked Greaser's head, feeding him scraps of chicken until I had myself back together. I walked back inside just as everyone was finishing up.

"Before cake, let's get the gifts sorted out," I smiled. My mother always did gifts before cake, and it was one tradition I tried to keep.

"You guys didn't have to get me gifts," Darry said, blushing.

"Shut up," Soda laughed, handing Darry the small pile of gifts. Soda and Steve both went in on a 6 pack of beer, Two-Bit had pitched in for another case, while Pony and Mary both got him new tools. Michelle handed him the card, smiling hugely. Then Darry opened the unmarked package from Greaser. His eyes widened when he saw the watch.

"How in the world?" he looked at me funny.

"Don't ask," I laughed. "Greaser helped me with that one."

"Well glory, that dog has good taste!" Two-Bit howled. I smiled brightly as I placed an envelope on the table in front of Darry.

"What's this?" he asked, looking up at me.

"A gift from the whole family," I said gently. "Save it till later," I added as I went to get bowls for the ice cream and cake.

Later, after everyone had went off to do their own things, while Michelle was tucked in her bed and Soda was taking a shower, Darry came through my back door, his eyes wide, the envelope in his hand.

"How in the world did you manage this?" he asked, not quite mad, but clearly not thrilled either.

"I worked a little over time at the diner, and a few people asked if they could chip in. Darry, people adore you, and this was their way of saying so," I said with a smile. "Don't get angry."

"I'm more shocked than angry," he admitted. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," I said with a smile. "Happy Birthday, Dar, you deserve it." I hugged him gently before moving towards my room. I closed the door, leaning heavily against it as I listened to the water run in the bathroom. I didn't know how we were going to handle the news. I didn't know how anyone was. With Steve leaving for the war…now was definitely not the time to bring it up.


	13. Epilogue

When Steve broke his news the next morning, the last thing I expected was for Soda to smile. But there he stood, in the Curtis' living room, smiling that huge smile of his. He pulled out a letter, which read the same as Steve's. He too, had been drafted for the war.

No one said a word. No one dared to move. I took a step back, my stomach churning. A moment later, I was hugging the toilet, silently losing my breakfast, as well as any hope of breaking news of my own. There was no way I'd say anything now. No way in hell.

"Open the door, Jo-Anna!" Soda cried, pounding on the bathroom door. I sat against it, my feet wedged between the tub and the sink, pushing hard against it. "Please Jo, c'mon, talk to me!" Soda pleaded.

I gave in. I moved away from the door, allowing him to shove it open. He took one look at my face, before sitting down next to me, pulling me close.

"Hey, don't cry," he said softly. "It's only for one year. One year and me and Steve will be back, raising hell like always."

"Soda, you don't understand," I sobbed, hugging him tight.

"What don't I understand?" he asked gently. "Babe, c'mon, talk to me."

"I'm pregnant, Soda, I'm fucking pregnant," I cried.

I wasn't aware that Steve had been standing in the doorway, but as soon as the words left my mouth, I heard him swear something fierce.

"Glory, Soda, you can't go," Steve said, his voice breaking.

"He has to," I sighed, shaking my head. "We ain't married, and even if we were, it wouldn't make a difference. They ship dad's off all the time," I brushed the tears from my eyes. I stood up and grabbed Steve's arm, dragging him out of the back door, across the yards and into my living room so fast, it made his head spin.

"You gotta promise me something," I said, trying my best to keep my voice steady.

"What?" he asked, "Anything, Jo, you just gotta ask."

"Don't let him die," I whispered, sinking to my knees, tears flowing freely now. "You can't let 'im die over there, this baby…this baby needs it's dad, and glory, god help me, I need Soda."

"Shh, Jo, easy," Steve was on the floor next to me, hugging me tight, rocking me like I was Mickey's age instead of almost 21. "I ain't gon' let him die, I promise you that. You got my word, Jo, I promise ya."

"If he dies…damnit, the gang can't lose Soda, an' neither can I!" I felt so stupid. But so scared. So fucking scared.

* * *

_Soda,  
It's been exactly two months, three weeks, five days, fourteen hours, and twenty-seven minutes since you boarded that bus. It's been five weeks since I last heard from you or Steve. God help me, you two had best be out keepin' each other alive, otherwise, I'll fly my happy ass right smack in the middle of the war to drag y'all home. _

_We all miss you two so much. I can't even explain it. Mickey…well she sure ain't the same bubbly, happy go lucky kid she was before you left. Mary and Pony are keepin' eachother sane, and Darry…well Darry's worried something awful._

_We all just sorta sit at my house, praying so damn hard that you come home. _

_I love you, you goofy ol' goat. Get your ass home to us. Your son or daughter is gonna be waitin' for you when you get off that bus. _

_I thought of a few more names. I'm thinking Shaynne Patrick, or Shaynne Michael for a boy. Or maybe something more original like Rayne Patrick…_

_Pepsi Star for a girl. I like that name a lot, and Pony kinda picked it, so I'm stuck on it. Or Pepsi Nikole, in honor of my mother. She woulda loved it, ya know? But Pepsi for sure. _

_Maybe Johnny for a boy even. Or Dallas. I dunno. I don't like pickin' names just yet…Not with…well not with you gone._

_Soda, we need ya to come home, ya hear me? Bring you and Steve home, so we can raise this baby together as a family. _

_Forever yours,  
Jo-Anna Beth._

I folded the paper and handed it to Darry, who stuck it in the envelope for me. I was laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling when Ponyboy came walking in, pale as a ghost.

"What's wrong?" I asked instantly, my stomach turning to ice.

"There was…there was a letter…from…from…" Pony couldn't say it, instead, he handed the letter to me. It was from Steve. I tore it open instantly, not even thinking twice.

_Jo,  
Don't want you to worry, so don't you worry, okay? _

_Things aren't good here right now. There's been a lot of…well a lot of losses this week. This month, actually. I'm stuck in the infirmary until my leg heals up. Managed to almost get the damn thing blown off trying to save Soda's ass._

_Soda…they can't find him, Jo. They can't. But they aren't givin' up, I promise you, I raised enough hell to make 'em keep looking. _

_By now, there's a letter to the guys with the details. But I wanted you to hear it from me first. _

_Shit, I ain't givin' up on him and neither should you. Soon as they lemme outta here, I'm goin' to find him. I know it. _

_You hang in there, you hear me? Keep the guys in line. Make sure Pony does his homework, make sure Darry gets enough sleep. Tell Mickey to smile some. Soda misses her smile. _

_We'll be home to ya in no time._

_SR_

I couldn't believe it. Darry was reading the other letter, his face pale, his eyes wide. He handed it to Pony, before looking at me.

"What…what did Steve say?" he asked, his voice hitching in his throat.

"The same thing that letter says," I sighed, tears in my eyes. For the first time since Soda and Steve boarded that bus, I wasn't so sure they'd be coming home. I couldn't bring myself to say it, but deep in my heart, I knew. I knew something awful was gonna happen…

The months passed in a blur after that. Steve didn't write anymore, but we didn't hear any bad news, so we kept the saying 'No News in Good News' going as long as we could. On October 8th, 1967, at 3 in the morning, I gave birth to two beautiful children. Right on Soda's 19th birthday.

Pepsi Nikole Curtis and Cola Shaynne Curtis were brought into the world and named in honor of their father, who was still missing in action. When the birth notice made the paper, we had friends from all corners of Tulsa coming to congratulate us, only to realize that Soda may never come home to see his beautiful son and daughter.

The birth was difficult, but what got me through, was knowing that I had to be there for my children, like I had been for my sisters and almost brothers. Darry held his nephew for the first time a day after he and his sister were born, tears running down his cheeks when the newborn gripped tightly onto his finger, wailing loudly.

"Soda, we need you," I whispered as I rocked Pepsi in my arms. "Pepsi and Cola need their father. They need the man they were named after, to come home and be the man we all know he was born to be."

The birth of my children was bitter sweet, and I only prayed, that god was on our side for once. On the side of the Greasers for one moment. Because if he wasn't, then these two innocent children would grow up to the same fate so many others had before them. They'd never know what a wonderful man their father had been.

Pony took me aside a week after their birth, a sad smile on his face when he handed me a photograph. It was a picture of the gang, from all those years ago, when we were all together, our parents standing behind us, smiling proudly at their gang of children, whether biological or adopted.

"Till the end," I whispered, kissing the photograph. Greaser laid down on the shag rug that had long since been stained. His tail thumped on the floor as he watched the door, just as he had since the day Soda left. Waiting, for his buddy to come home.

We all waited. We were all waiting for a call or letter that never came. Deep in our hearts, we felt at a loss of words, unable to comprehend that our friends…our brothers…my would have been husband, may never return to us.

It was something no one talked about. Not even after the news gave report after report of the death toll in Vietnam. Not when the babies smiled for the first time. Not when I fell into a deep, unshakeable depression only weeks after their birth.

No one talked about it. Because it was too hard. None of us wanted to think about it. So we didn't. We kept ourselves busy, doing what we had to to keep ourselves alive. We fought hard, for what little hope we had left.

But Pepsi and Cola were constant reminders, that there was hope, love and courage in the world. Every time one of us help those babies, we were filled with joy. Even when we were sad, we found joy. We had to. We just had to.

_Soda,  
It's been 347 days, 18 hours, 25 minutes, since you left. So much has changed since then. You're a father now, Sodapop. You're a dad._

_Please, come home to us. We need you._

_Jo-Anna._

_Steve,  
You better be alive. Because if you're not, I swear on all I love, you'll never get to rest easy, you hear? Bring my man home, would you, please? You have to be alive…you have to!_

* * *

He was huddled, cramped in a small, horrible room with several other men. The smell was unbearable. He'd been counting the days by scratching small marks into the wall. Each mark meant another day that passed. He knew he was a father. But he was also a prisoner. A Prisoner of War. But also a prisoner of his own mind.

He had to find a way out. He had to.

* * *

Every night, I watched the news, praying for some good news. But it never came. Deep in my heart, I lost all hope that my best friend, my lover, the father of my children, would ever come home. As the hard truth finally sank in, I did the only thing I could think to do. I walked over to the phone and called Darry, begging him to come over. A minute later, we sat on the couch, silently thinking the same thing. Even when the babies began to cry, neither of us made to move. We just sat there, silent, waiting for it all to end.

Because for us, there was no tomorrow. There was no hope, no laughter, no love. All of that vanished the day the letters came in the mail. The day we realized, we had truly lost two more of our own, only this time, it wasn't to a war that was waged in our own neighborhood, one we proudly fought in. Instead, it was in a war that neither of those young men…boys really, had any business fighting.

Silence soon became the new norm, as none of us had the strength to move on. They say time mends a broken heart, but when your heart is torn straight from your chest, all hope truly for irreplaceably lost, that's when you really realize, it ain't so easy after all.

**To Be Continued…**


End file.
